tihraxy  of  Che  theological  ^eminarjp 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


BV  2520  .S7  1902 
Wright,  Mary  Emily. 
The  missionary  work  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  convention 


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THE  MISSIONARY  WORK  OF  THE 
SOUTHERN  BAPTIST  CONVENTION 


(      JAN  15  1959 
THE  MISSIONARY  WORK     X^^cal   Si^ 

OF  THE 


Soutbern  SSaptist  Convention 


BY 
MARY  EMILY  WRIGHT 


WITH  INTRODUCTION 

BY 

LANSING   BURROWS,  D.  D. 


N<  Ng  Ng 


PHILADELPHIA 

Bmerican  :i6aptist  publication  Society 

1420  Chestnut  Street 


Copyright  igo2  by  the 
American  Baptist  Publication  Society 


Published  April,  igo2 


jfrom  tbe  Societv'e  own  press 


The  'Baptist  women  of  the  South  who,  with  singleness  of 
heart  and  tinitf  of  purpose,  strive  for  the  advancement 
of  the  Redeemer'' s  kingdom  and  the  glory  of  our  God 


PREFACE 


It  has  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  the  author 
of  this  volume  that  a  complete  history  of  the  mis- 
sionary operations  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention has  never  been  placed  at  the  service  of 
those  interested  in  missions.  Realizing  the  ad- 
vantages accruing  from  the  use  of  information 
accessible  only  to  the  few,  it  became  her  great 
desire  to  put  these  advantages  within  reach  of  the 
many.  Especially  did  such  a  book  seem  desirable 
for  the  Baptist  women  of  the  South  who,  realizing 
that  missionary  information  is  essential  to  mission- 
ary inspiration,  have  made  such  earnest  efforts  for 
its  dissemination.  While  the  personal  element 
adds  greatly  to  the  interest  of  a  book  of  this  char- 
acter it  has  been  impossible  in  so  small  a  compass 
to  do  more  than  mention  many  consecrated  mis- 
sionaries. In  some  instances,  however,  the  life  of 
the  missionary  and  the  history  of  the  mission  are 
indivisible,  and  in  some  the  evidences  of  the  Di- 
vine direction  in  the  call  and  leading  forth  of  a 
devoted  man  or  woman  has  been  too  suggestive  to 
be  ignored.  Even  the  names  of  many  faithful 
home  missionaries  are  lost  to  history,  but  the  re- 


Vlll  PREFACE 

suits  of  their  self-denying  labors  are  their  lasting 

memorial,  and  their  names,  with   those  of  many 

whom  they  have  led  into  the  kingdom,  are  written 

in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life. 

The    inspiration    of    this    book  was    a    sainted 

grandmother,    who   stirred   a   childish  fancy  with 

stories  of    Carey   and    Marshman,   of    Rice  and 

Judson,  and  awakened  an  interest  which  has  grown 

with  increasing  years.     With  the  hope  that  it  may 

impart  information,  deepen  interest,  and  quicken 

enthusiasm,  and   the  prayer  that  it   may  prove  a 

blessing  to  the  reader  as  it  has  to  the  author,  this 

volume  is  offered  to  the  kindly  attention  of  the 

Baptists  of  the  South. 

M.  E.  W. 

Augusta,  Ga.,  April  i,  1902. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Introduction xiii 

I.  The  Convention   Organized i 

II.  The  Woman's  Missionary  Union 13 

III.  Bible  and  Sunday-school  Work 23 

IV.  The  South  China  Mission 42 

V.  Central  China  Mission 79 

VI.  North   China  Mission 112 

VII.  The  Mission  in  Liberia 143 

VIII.  The  Mission  in  Yoruba ^53^/^ 

IX.  The  Italian  Mission 181 

X.  The  Brazilian  Mission 213 

XI.  The   Mexican  Mission 246 

XII.  The  Japanese  Mission 272 

XIII.  Home  Missionary  Operations 283 

XIV.  Mission  Work  Among  the  Negroes 312 

XV.  Missions  Among  Foreign  Populations  ....  328 

XVI.  The  Indian  Missions 340 

XVII.  The  Cuban    Mission 361 

XVIII.  Closing  Words 392 

Tabulated  Statement  of  Missionaries     .    .    .  397 

Authorities  Consulted 404 

Index 405 


INTRODUCTION 


Over  so  extended  a  country  as  that  which  is 
comprised  within  the  scope  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  it  is  not  strange  that  there  should  be 
found  diverse  types  of  character.  Many  influences 
combine  to  create  differences  so  marked  as  to 
practically  describe  separate  peoples.  This  is 
equally  true  of  the  largest  European  empires, 
where  climate  and  tradition  exercise  potent  influ- 
ence in  the  development  of  peoples,  subject  to 
the  same  throne  and  bearing  the  same  national 
name.  Such  impulse  was  not  without  power  even 
in  the  early  history  of  our  own  land.  Its  constitu- 
ents, although  speaking  the  English  tongue,  were 
not  homogeneous.  There  were  many  points  in 
common  upon  which  national  life  was  crystallized, 
such  as  the  struggle  for  independence,  but  upon 
less  important  matters  there  were  strong  views 
which  were  colored  by  environment  or  tradition, 
or  inherited  customs  dating  back  to  the  period  of 
the  first  settlements,  and  these  found  utterance  in 
the  debates  of  the  Constitutional  Convention. 
Even  the  swarming  of  internal  migrations,  in  the 
developing  of  the   country,  was  largely  actuated 


Xll  INTRODUCTION 

by  varying  motive,  so  that  the  traditions  of  the 
Western  Reserve,  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase,  of 
the  Texan  annexation,  of  the  El  Dorado  of  the  Pa- 
cific, have  become  entirely  variant  in  their  charac- 
ter from  each  other  while  homogeneous  in  them- 
selves. 

Although  united  under  a  common  name,  and 
rejoicing  in  the  boast  of  a  common  history,  which 
has  so  highly  illumined  the  annals  of  the  race,  a 
great  divergence  in  character  and  methods  of 
living  has  always  existed  between  the  Northern 
and  Southern  States  of  the  Union.  The  unhappy 
internecine  strife  was  not  the  occasion  of  this  di- 
vergence, but  an  outgrowth  of  it.  The  rigorous 
climate  of  New  England  had  been  developing  a  type 
entirely  different  from  that  which  was  produced 
by  the  more  genial  and  languorous  climate  of  the 
South,  among  peoples  that  had  sprung  from  differ- 
ent stocks  of  the  same  great  race.  The  leaders  of 
influence  were  affected  by  varying  circumstances. 
The  population  of  one  division  was  more  compact 
than  the  other.  Questions  of  political  economy 
were  colored  by  the  necessities  of  a  comparatively 
crowded  community  on  the  one  hand  and  of  sparse 
or  isolated  communities  on  the  other.  The  taste 
of  one  section  was  commercial  or  mechanical,  of 
the  other  it  was  mainly  pastoral.  Commercialism 
tended  toward  unity  and  the  obliterating  of  the 
imaginary  lines  of  the  political  geographies.     The 


INTRODUCTION  XIU 

agricultural  life  tended  toward  independence,  the 
fancied  security  of  isolation,  and  the  undue  empha- 
sizing of  State  lines.  New  England,  especially, 
became  so  homogeneous  that  one  great  city  stood 
as  its  center  of  commerce  and  influence,  quite 
irrespective  of  State  hegemony.  The  crossing  of 
a  State  line  in  the  South  found  changed  conditions 
and  traditions,  and  marked  variety  in  the  manner 
of  thought  and  action.  As  the  State  lines  grew 
fainter  in  the  North  and  West,  they  became 
stronger  in  the  South.  It  was  the  result  of  op- 
posing conditions.  To  the  descendant  of  the 
Puritan  and  of  the  Cavalier  life  projected  itself  in 
the  spirit  of  the  fathers.  The  questions  which 
culminated  in  the  terrible  conflict  of  the  Civil  War 
had  been  growing  in  intensity  from  the  initial  set- 
tlement of  the  country. 

The  Southern  country  was  at  a  great  disadvan- 
tage because  of  its  individualism  and  self-imposed 
isolation.  It  devoted  itself  to  one  great,  general 
employment,  while  the  other  section  became  iden- 
tified in  multiform  industries.  The  activities  in- 
volved in  the  prosecution  of  these  varied  employ- 
ments were  more  conducive  to  independent 
thinking  than  the  more  indulgent  life  of  the 
plantations.  Thinkers  and  scholars,  indeed,  were 
produced,  and  they  were  men  of  unblemished 
life  and  marked  genius,  but  they  were  apt  to  be 
mere  doctrinaires  and  their  writings  partake  more 


XIV  INTRODUCTION 

of  dreamy  theorizing,  natural  to  their  surround- 
ings ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  writings  of  the  other 
section  were  influenced  more  by  their  practical  and 
mechanical  environment.  There  were  exceptions 
which  only  serve  to  make  more  prominent  the  va- 
riation ,  as  for  example,  the  Concord  philosophers, 

L_who  made  little  impression  upon  their  age. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century 
men  had  grown  to  regard  the  great  questions 
which  were  agitating  them  from  opposing  view- 
points. No  indictment  against  their  sincerity  can 
now  be  made  to  stand.  There  was  almost  on 
every  theme  a  Northern  and  a  Southern  view,  the 
conclusions    being  honestly  arrived    at   from  the 

I"  point  of  view  which  was  taken.  The  questions 
were  not  alone  political,  they  affected  social  and 
religious  thought.  Even  the  ideal  of  domestic 
living  was  variant,  the  dignity  of  labor  being  in- 
volved and  the  supremacy  of  material   prosperity 

L  or  its  subordination  to  higher  purposes.  The 
trend  of  theological  thought  was  also  different, 
swaying  from  mysterious  metaphysical  abstractions 
upon  the  one  hand,  to  close  and  even  ritualistic 
literalism  of  interpretatation  on  the  other.  There 
was  a  similar  bent  in  political  thought,  developing 
into  liberalism  on  one  side  and  strict  construction 
of  the  letter  of  the  Constitution  on  the  other, — one 
view  seeking  to  keep  national  life  abreast  of  the 
speedy  development  of  the  country,  and  the  other 


INTRODUCTION  XV 

keeping  jealous  watch  over  suspected  encroach- 
ments upon  the  liberties  of  the  people.  The  com- 
munal interests  of  the  industrial  North  began  to 
clash  with  those  of  the  agricultural  South  ;  princi- 
ples which  conserved  the  prosperity  of  one  worked 
to  the  disadvantage  of  the  other.  Shop  against 
farm  underlies  the  great  tariff  problems,  and 
Judah  and  Ephraim,  for  reasons  of  self-preserva- 
tion, must  needs  vex  one  another. 

When  slavery,  that  source  of  national  trouble, 
was  eliminated,  the  original  conditions  which  had 
prevailed  were  not  obliterated.  The  union  of 
States  was  preserved  and  cemented  indissolubly 
for  all  time.  But  the  traditions  of  two  centuries, 
the  heredity  of  peoples  derived  from  different 
stocks,  and  the  manners  and  customs  ingrained, 
were  not  removed.  In  addition,  the  sorrows  and 
bitterness,  the  violent  wrench  upon  the  labor  sys- 
tem, with  the  consequent  dissipation  of  material 
wealth,  and  the  suspicion,  whether  groundless  or 
no,  of  a  relegation  to  a  subordinate  position  un- 
worthy of  confidence  in  the  affairs  of  national  life, 
could  not  be  ignored.  These  were  factors  which 
were  real,  and  which  time  alone  could  soften  and 
much  more  entirely  remove. 

No  intelligent  or  high-spirited  people  can  be 
marshaled  by  leaders  not  in  sympathetic  touch 
with  their  traditions  or  habits  of  thought.  Suc- 
cessful leadership  requires  the  confidence  of  those 


XVI  INTRODUCTION 

who  are  led,  and  this  confidence  is  born  out  of 
sense  of  fellowship  and  comity  of  interest.  It  is 
not  a  question  of  what  ought  to  be  in  the  ideal 
kingdom  of  heaven  ;  it  is  a  question  of  prevailing 
conditions  in  the  struggles  to  attain  the  ideal. 
Eminent  Christian  leaders  are  to  be  found  in  all 
countries,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  pious  influences 
emanating  from  Furnival  Street,  in  London,  cannot 
hope  to  develop  Christian  efficiency  in  evangelical 
work  in  America,  even  in  the  Maritime  Provinces 
of  Canada,  or  the  islands  of  Australasia.  Nor  can 
Canadian  brethren,  with  an  unblemished  record  of 
faithful  administration,  affect  in  any  wise  their 
fellow-Christians  across  the  imaginary  line  which 
separates  their  Dominion  from  this  Union.  For 
better  development  the  activities  of  each  people 
are  confined  within  lines  that  circumscribe  not  so 
much  their  geographical  habitation  as  their  unity 
of  thought  and  comity  of  interest. 

This  was  the  principle  which  led  to  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  The 
clash  of  political  sentiment  simply  crystallized  a 
movement  that  was  impossible  to  be  avoided. 
The  vast  distances  from  the  base  of  operations 
was  one  great  obstacle  at  the  beginning  of  effect- 
ive missionary  work  in  America.  As  the  country 
grew,  these  distances  increased.  The  mighty  in- 
fluences growing  out  of  the  gatherings  of  the 
people  were  entirely  wanting  in    the   South,  and 


INTRODUCTION  XVU 

these  gatherings  occurred  but  once  in  three  years 
and  never  penetrated  the  agricultural  South.  The 
limited  opportunities  for  travel  prevented  the  ac- 
quaintance of  the  people  with  the  men  who  admin- 
istered denominational  affairs.  In  the  earliest 
report  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Con- 
vention may  be  found  this  complaint  : 

Nor  has  the  influence  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  Board 
at  Boston  been  sufficiently  strong  to  train  our  churches  to 
systematic  hberality.  Its  pulsations  have  been  but  feebly 
felt  at  the  South,  while  near  the  center  of  action  an  influ- 
ence has  continually  gone  forth,  creating  and  fostering  the 
spirit  of  missions.  Its  publications,  its  agents,  its  returned 
missionaries,  and  other  appliances,  have  been  brought  to 
bear  with  increasing  power  upon  the  North  for  the  last 
thirty  years,  but  owing  to  the  vast  extent  of  our  territory 
these  means  have  been  but  occasionally  or  imperfectly 
employed  throughout  the  whole  Southern  country. 

There  could  be  no  help  for  this  condition  of 
things  under  the  prevailing  methods.  The  South- 
ern Baptists  were  so  situated  in  their  pastoral 
pursuits  that  towns  were  rare  and  small  and  vil- 
lages but  mere  hamlets  far  apart,  while  places  of 
worship  were  at  secluded  points  and  utilized  but 
twelve  times  in  each  year.  So  the  methods  which 
proved  successful  at  the  North  could  promise  little 
or  nothing  at  the  South.  The  new  men  and  the 
new  methods  were  imperatively  demanded  by  the 
situation. 


XVlll  INTRODUCTION 

If  it  be  urged  that  one  question  seemed  upper- 
most in  the  counsels  of  the  gathering  at  Augusta 
which  created  a  new  denominational  force,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  this  is  true.  It  was  natural  that 
those  men  should  have  reflected  more  than  was 
meet  upon  only  one  phase  of  the  argument  which 
led  to  separation.  They  knew  not  what  they  were 
building,  as  is  true  of  the  origins  of  many  enter- 
prises appointed  by  the  Divine  Wisdom  for  the 
furtherance  of  the  kingdom.  The  after-years 
have  proven  that  these  men  were  wiser  than  they 
thought,  for  they  set  in  motion  the  only  influences 
powerful  enough  to  develop  the  thousands  of  hum- 
ble churches  about  them  into  the  present  strong 
forces  for  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer.  Without 
that  combination  of  effort  it  is  fair  to  say  that  the 
Baptists  of  the  South  would  have  shriveled  into 
an  ineffective  self-concentration.  Thrown  upon 
their  own  resources,  led  by  men  out  of  their  own 
ranks  who  were  inspired  by  the  traditions  of  a 
common  heritage  and  winning  confidence  by  their 
intimate  association  with  the  churches,  sending 
forth  missionaries  from  their  native  mountains  and 
fields.  Southern  Baptists  have  arisen  to  a  power 
of  efficiency  and  unity  which  can  but  increase 
through  the  present  century.  And  this  develop- 
ment of  labor  promises  to  contribute  to  the  devel- 
opment of  world-wide  interest  in  the  work  of  a 
common    brotherhood.     For    as    a    Christian    is 


INTRODUCTION  XIX 

trained  to  usefulness  and  learns  to  read  the  com- 
mission as  an  individual  obligation  upon  himself, 
his  sympathies  warm  toward  all  of  like  common 
faith  who  are  striving  to  bring  in  the  kingdom  of 
our  Christ.  Indeed,  "  the  unity  of  the  Spirit," 
much  more  to  be  esteemed  than  a  mere  external 
uniformity  of  activity,  is  more  sure  of  accomplish- 
ment by  the  "  diversities  of  operations." 

Lansing  Burrows. 

Nashville,  Tenn. 


THE  MISSIONARY  WORK 

OF    THE 

SOUTHERN  BAPTIST  CONVENTION 


THE  CONVENTION  ORGANIZED 

THE  year  1845  ^^^^s  memorable  in  the  history 
of  the  Southern  Baptists.  At  that  time 
was  formed  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  and 
then  began  those  missionary  operations  which 
have  ever  since  been  their  glory  and  joy.  Prior 
to  1845  the  Baptists  of  the  South  co-operated  with 
the  Baptists  of  the  North  in  supporting  the  Tri- 
ennial Convention,  formed  in  Philadelphia,  May 
18,  1 8 14.  Southern  men  had  been  prominent  in 
its  councils,  and  harmony  in  the  prosecution  of 
mission  work  prevailed  until  the  agitation  of  the 
question  of  African  slavery.  For  many  years  the 
question  had  been  warmly  discussed  in  Baptist  cir- 
cles, but  it  was  not  until  1840  that  the  differences 
between   North  and  South  became  markedly  evi- 


2  MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

dent.  Even  then  the  counsels  of  the  more  pru- 
dent and  conservative  prevailed,  and  everything 
calculated  to  mar  the  general  harmony  was  ex- 
cluded from  the  deliberations  of  the  Triennial 
Convention. 

Some  conservative  leaders  were  determined  to 
avert  impending  trouble,  believing  it  possible  ;  to 
others  it  was  clear  that  dissolution  was  unavoid- 
able. Dr.  Richard  Fuller,  who  believed  that  dis- 
ruption could  be  averted,  offered  in  the  Triennial 
Convention  of   1 844  the  following  : 

Whereas,  Some  misapprehension  exists  in  certain  parts 
of  the  country  as  to  the  design  or  character  of  this  Conven- 
tion, and  it  is  most  desirable  that  such  misapprehension 
should  be  removed  ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  this  Convention  is  a  corporation  with 
limited  powers  for  a  specific  purpose  defined  in  its  constitu- 
tion ;  and  therefore,  that  its  members  are  delegated  to  meet 
solely  for  the  transaction  of  business  prescribed  by  the  said 
constitution  ;  and  that  co-operation  in  this  body  does  not 
involve  nor  imply  any  concert  or  sympathy  as  to  any  mat- 
ters foreign  from  the  object  designated  as  aforesaid. 

This  resolution  received  a  prompt  second  from 
Spencer  H.  Cone,  of  New  York,  and  was  sus- 
tained by  William  Hague,  of  Massachusetts,  and 
J.  B.  Jeter,  of  Virginia.  Its  most  determined 
opponent  was  Nathaniel  Colver,  of  Massachusetts, 
"  who  expressed  the  desire  that  he  be  not  handi- 
capped respecting  any  matter  that  might  come  for 
consideration  before  the  body." 


THE    CONVENTION    ORGANIZED  3 

The  resolution  was  withdrawn  and  the  following 
was  offered  and  adopted  : 

Whereas,  There  exists  in  various  sections  of  our  coun- 
try an  impression  that  our  present  organization  involves  the 
fellowship  of  the  institution  of  domestic  slavery  or  of  cer- 
tain associations  which  are  designed  to  oppose  this  insti- 
tution ; 

Resolved,  That  in  co-operating  together  as  members  of 
this  Convention  in  the  work  of  foreign  missions  we  disclaim 
all  sanction,  either  expressed  or  implied,  whether  of  slavery 
or  of  anti-slavery  ;  but  as  individuals  we  are  perfectly  free 
both  to  express  and  to  promote  our  own  views  on  these 
subjects  in  a  Christian  manner  and  spirit. 

This  was  the  last  meeting  of  the  Triennial  Con- 
vention at  which  the  whole  country  was  repre- 
sented. Events  immediately  following  this  meeting 
led  to  the  speedy  rupture  of  harmonious  relations. 
The  pro-slavery  advocates  among  Southern  Bap- 
tists claimed  that  just  subsequent  to  the  Con- 
vention of  1844  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
procured  the  retirement  of  Rev.  John  Bushyhead, 
a  highly  respected  Indian  Baptist  preacher,  because 
he  was  an  owner  of  slaves.  The  impression  was 
thus  created  that  slaveholders  would  not  hence- 
forth be  admitted  to  appointment  under  the  Board. 
The  calm  and  courteous  discussion  of  the  institu- 
tion of  slavery  in  a  newspaper  controversy  between 
those  two  leaders  of  thought  North  and  South, 
Francis  Wayland  and  Richard  Fuller,  served  for  a 
brief  season  to  allay  bitterness  of  feeling.      Utter- 


4  MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

ances  attributed  to  Dr.  R.  E.  Patterson,  the  Home 
Secretary  of  the  Boston  Board,  fanned  the  smoul- 
dering fires  of  popular  excitement  into  a  flame. 
These  utterances  intimated  that  the  acting  Board 
of  the  Triennial  Convention  would  no  longer  tole- 
rate slavery,  and  called  forth  the  following  query 
from  the  Tuscaloosa  Church  to  the  Alabama  State 
Convention  :  "  Is  it  proper  for  us  at  the  South  to 
send  any  more  money  to  our  brethren  at  the  North 
for  missionary  and  other  benevolent  purposes  be- 
fore the  subject  of  slavery  be  rightly  understood 
by  both  parties  ?  "  The  authorship  of  the  query 
was  attributed  to  Dr.  Basil  Manly,  Sr.,  and,  together 
with  a  communication  to  the  Alabama  Baptist  Con- 
vention from  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  was 
referred  to  a  committee  of  which  he  was  chairman. 
The  committee  framed  the  following  resolutions, 
known  as  the  Alabama  resolutions : 

Whereas,  The  holding  of  property  in  African  Negro 
slaves  has  for  some  years  excited  discussion  as  a  question 
of  morals  between  different  portions  of  the  Baptist  denomi- 
nation united  in  benevolent  enterprise,  and  by  a  large 
portion  of  our  brethren  is  now  imputed  to  the  slaveholders 
in  these  Southern  and  Southwestern  States  as  a  sin  at  once 
grievous,  palpable,  and  disqualifying, 

(i)  Resolved,  That  when  one  party  to  a  voluntary  com- 
pact among  Christian  brethren  is  not  willing  to  acknowl- 
edge the  entire  social  equality  with  the  other  as  to  all  the 
privileges  and  benefits  of  the  union,  nor  even  to  refrain 
from  impeachment  and  annoyance,  united  efforts  between 


THE    CONVENTION    ORGANIZED  5 

such  parties,  even  in  the  sacred  cause  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence, cease  to  be  agreeable,  useful,  or  proper. 

(2)  Resolved,  That  our  duty  at  this  crisis  requires  us  to 
demand  from  the  proper  authorities  in  all  those  bodies  to 
whose  funds  we  have  contributed  or  with  whom  we  have  in 
any  way  been  connected,  the  distinct,  explicit  avowal  that 
slaveholders  are  eligible,  and  entitled  equally  with  non- 
slaveholders  to  all  the  privileges  and  immunities  of  their 
several  unions,  and  especially  to  receive  any  agency,  mis- 
sion, or  other  appointment  which  may  run  within  the  scope 
of  their  operations  or  duties. 

After  some  correspondence  between  the  Ala- 
bama State  Convention  and  the  Acting  Board  of 
the  Triennial  Convention  the  whole  matter  was 
referred  to  a  committee.  This  committee  sub- 
mitted the  following  report,  which  was  adopted  at 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers,  held 
in  Providence,  R.  I.,  April  30,  1845  : 

The  committee  have  attended  to  the  duty  confided  to 
them,  and  ask  leave  to  present  the  following  statements  as 
embracing  substantially  their  views  on  the  subject  to  which 
the  correspondence  refers.  They  are  happy  also  to  add, 
that  in  these  views  the  members  of  the  acting  Board  present 
in  general  coincide. 

1.  The  spirit  of  the  constitution  of  the  General  Conven- 
tion, as  well  as  the  history  of  its  proceedings  from  the 
beginning,  renders  it  apparent  that  all  the  members  of  the 
Baptist  denomination  in  good  standing,  whether  at  the 
North  or  the  South,  are  constitutionally  eligible  to  all 
appointments  emanating  either  from  the  Convention  or 
the   Board. 

2.  While  this  is  the  case,  it  is  possible  that  contingen- 


6  MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

cies  may  arise  in  which  the  carrying  out  of  this  principle 
might  create  the  necessity  of  making  appointments  by 
which  the  brethren  of  the  North  would,  either  in  fact  or  in 
the  opinion  of  the  Christian  community,  become  responsible 
for  institutions  which  they  could  not,  with  a  good  con- 
science, sanction. 

3.  Were  such  a  case  to  occur,  we  could  not  desire  our 
brethren  to  violate  their  convictions  of  duty  by  making 
such  appointments,  but  should  consider  it  incumbent  upon 
them  to  refer  the  case  to  the  Convention  for  its  decision. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted,  in  behalf  of  the 
committee. 

F.  Wayland,   Chairman. 

The  Baptists  of  the  South  were  not  satisfied 
with  this  report,  and  the  committee  of  the  Ala- 
bama Convention  addressed  a  direct  inquiry  to  the 
Acting  Board  in  Boston  asking  if  a  slaveholder 
would  be  appointed  as  a  missionary.  The  reply 
was  that  "in  accordance  with  the  conscientious 
convictions  of  the  members  of  the  Board  they 
could  not  appoint  any  person  as  a  missionary  who 
was  the  owner  of  slaves." 

Meanwhile  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society  had  declared  a  separation  from  Southern 
churches  expedient  and  had  taken  measures  to 
effect  it.  The  society  refused  to  appoint  James 
E.  Reeves,  a  missionary  within  the  Tallapoosa 
Association,  of  Georgia,  for  the  reason  that  he 
was  a  slaveholder.  This  refusal  was  made  directly 
to  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptist 
Convention.     Thus    practical    demonstration   was 


THE    CONVENTION    ORGANIZED  7 

given  of  the  position  taken  by  the  Home  Mission 
Society.  The  committee  appointed  to  consider  the 
subject  of  an  amicable  dissolution  of  the  society 
presented  the  following  report  when  the  national 
anniversaries  met  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1845  : 

Whereas,  The  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society 
is  composed  of  contributors  residing  in  slaveholding  States  ; 
and, 

Whereas,  The  constitution  recognizes  no  distinction 
among  the  members  of  the  Society  as  to  the  eligibiUty  of 
all  the  offices  and  appointments  in  the  gift  both  of  the 
society  and  the  Board  ;  and. 

Whereas,  It  has  been  found  that  the  basis  on  which  the 
Society  was  organized  is  one  upon  which  all  the  members 
and  friends  of  the  Society  are  not  now  willing  to  act  ; 
therefore. 

Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  that  the  members  now 
forming  the  Society  should  hereafter  act  in  separate  organi- 
zations at  the  South  and  at  the  North  in  promoting  the 
objects  which  were  originally  contemplated  by  the  Society. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  report  a 
plan  by  which  the  object  contemplated  in  the  preceding 
resolution  may  be  acccomplished  in  the  best  way  and  at 
the  earliest  period  of  time  consistently  with  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  constitutional  rights  of  all  the  members  and 
with  the  least  possible  interruption  of  the  missionary  work 
of  the  Society. 

This  report  gave  rise  to  prolonged  discussion. 
Doctor  Wayland  endeavored  to  stay  the  tide  set- 
ting toward  separation,  but  even  his  influence  and 
eloquence  failed  and  the  report  was  adopted. 


L 


8  MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

The  withdrawal  of  Southern  Baptists  from  co- 
operation with  their  Northern  brethren  was  now 
inevitable.  One  by  one  the  Conventions  of  the 
Southern  States  severed  their  connection  with 
the  Triennial  Convention.  In  response  to  a  sug- 
gestion from  the  Foreign  Mission  Society  of  Vir- 
ginia, three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  men  from 
the  States  of  Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina, 
South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama,  Louisiana,  and 
Kentucky,  and  the  District  of  Columbia,  gathered 
in  the  meeting-house  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
in  Augusta,  Ga.,  May  8,  1845.  I^  the  midst  of 
great  enthusiasm  the  body  proceeded  to  organiza- 
tion, and  the  following  resolution  was  unanimously 
adopted  : 

That  for  peace  and  harmony,  and  in  order  to  accom- 
plish the  greatest  amount  of  good  and  for  the  maintenance 
of  those  scriptural  principles  on  which  the  General  Mis- 
sionary Convention  of  the  Baptist  denomination  of  the 
United  States  was  originally  formed,  it  is  proper  that  this 
Convention  at  once  proceed  to  organize  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  gospel. 

The  constitution  adopted  was  essentially  the 
same  as  that  under  which  Baptists  North  and 
South  had  worked  together  for  thirty-four  years. 
It  still  remains  practically  the  same,  only  such 
changes  having  been  made  as  the  growth  of  the 
work  and  altered  conditions  demanded.  An  ad- 
dress  was    prepared,    "  setting  forth   the   reasons 


THE    CONVENTION    ORGANIZED  9 

which  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention  and  giving  an  exposition  of  its  princi- 
ples and  objects."  This  address  was  directed 
"  to  the  brethren  in  the  United  States,  to  the  con- 
gregations connected  with  the  respective  churches, 
and  to  all  candid  men."  It  sounded  no  uncertain 
note,  and  stands  as  a  lasting  memorial  to  the  can- 
dor and  strength  of  conviction  of  the  men  who 
framed  it.  This  has  been  so  often  published  that 
we  give  here  no  more  than  its  expressed  purpose. 
This  was  declared  to  be  : 

The  extension  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  and  the  glory 
of  our  God.  Not  disunion  with  any  of  his  people,  not  the 
upholding  of  any  form  of  human  policy  or  civil  rights,  but 
God' s  glory  and  Messiah' s  increasing  reign,  in  the  promo- 
tion of  which  we  find  no  necessity  for  relinquishing  any  of 
our  civil  rights. 

Though  friction  was  unavoidable  in  a  disunion 
involving  such  grave  issues,  public  negotiations 
were  conducted  with  a  courtesy  and  forbearance 
in  accord  with  the  elevated  Christian  character  of 
the  contending  parties.  The  separation  has  not 
proved  the  disaster  that  its  most  earnest  opponents 
feared  ;  rather  has  it  been  in  many  respects  of 
signal  advantage.  One  change  from  the  original 
methods  of  the  Triennial  Convention  was  dictated 
by  experience.  Instead  of  establishing  a  single 
Board  having  charge  of  several  departments  of 
denominational  effort,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to 


lO        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

establish  two  co-ordinate  Boards,  each  dependent 
upon  the  body  which  had  constituted  it.  Accord- 
ingly, a  Board  to  have  charge  of  all  foreign  mission 
interests  was  appointed  and  located  in  Richmond, 
Va.,  and  one  to  promote  home  missions  was  ap- 
l  pointed  and  located  in  Marion,  Ala.  The  Foreign 
Mission  Board  has  numbered  among  its  presidents 
some  of  the  most  illustrious  names  in  Baptist  his- 
tory, names  that  are  household  words  in  Southern 
Baptist  homes.  They  are  J.  B.  Jeter,  R.  B.  C. 
Howell,  J.  L.  Burrows,  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  H.  H. 
Harris,  and  C.  H.  Winston,  the  present  incum- 
bent. The  Board  has  been  favored  in  the  reten- 
tion of  its  secretaries  through  a  long  term  of  years. 
Of  Rev.  James  B.  Taylor,  who  served  the  Board 
for  twenty-five  years,  it  was  said  :  "  His  life  was 
missions  and  his  death  the  missionary's  crown." 
H.  A.  Tupper,  d.  d.,  succeeded  Doctor  Taylor  in 
1 87 1,  and  served  the  Board  with  untiring  zeal 
until  1893,  when  he  tendered  his  resignation  and 
was  succeeded  by  R.  J.  Willingham,  d.  d.,  who 
still  holds  the  office. 

The  Home  Mission  Board,  or  the  Domestic  Mis- 
sion Board,  as  it  was  then  called,  encountered 
many  vicissitudes  in  securing  permanent  officers, 
and  was  thus  greatly  hampered  in  organizing  and 
conducting  its  work.  The  Convention  of  1855 
received  a  proposition  from  the  Indian  Mission 
Association  of    Louisville,   Ky.,  whose  work   was 


THE    CONVENTION    ORGANIZED  II 

supported  mainly  by  Southern  Baptists,  to  unite 
with  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  and  trans- 
fer its  mission  work  to  the  Home  Mission  Board. 
This  arrangement  was  effected  and  the  Board  was 
known  as  the  Domestic  and  Indian  Mission  Board 
until  1874.  After  years  of  enfeebled  existence 
the  Home  Mission  Board  shared  in  the  impetus 
of  1879.  It  was  removed  from  Marion,  Ala.,  to 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  in  1882,  and  in  the  reconstruction 
an  effort  was  made  to  popularize  the  Board  by  the 
selection  of  members  from  points  other  than 
Atlanta.  By  the  adoption  of  this  policy  it  was 
thought  that  the  Board  might  be  divested  of  tra- 
ditional conditions  which  hampered  its  progress 
and  its  prosperity  thus  be  promoted.  The  services 
of  I.  T,  Tichenor,  d.  d.,  were  secured  as  cor- 
responding secretary,  and  under  his  judicious 
management  the  Board  entered  upon  a  career 
of  unprecedented  prosperity.  After  seventeen 
years  of  service  Doctor  Tichenor  was  made  secre- 
tary emeritus  and  F.  H.  Kerfoot,  d.  d.,  of  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  was  elected  corresponding  secretary. 
Doctor  Kerfoot  brought  to  the  office  the  strength 
of  well-developed  powers  and  the  force  of  a  com- 
manding personality.  Less  than  two  years  were 
permitted  him  in  which  to  inaugurate  plans  for 
the  enlargement  of  the  work  of  the  Board.  June 
22,  1 90 1,  the  Master  called  him  unto  himself. 
F.  C.  McConnell,  d.  d.,  of  Lynchburg,  Va.,  was 


12        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

elected  to  succeed  Doctor  Kerfoot,  and   entered 
upon  his  duties  in  the  autumn  of  1901. 

Other  Boards  were  constituted  as  the  years 
passed.  In  185 1  a  Bible  Board  was  established 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.  Several  organizations  were 
already  in  the  field,  and  the  Board  was  never  able 
to  obtain  the  sympathy  and  aid  it  merited.  It 
was  abolished  by  the  Convention  of  1863,  and  a 
Sunday-school  Board  was  appointed  and  located 
in  Greenville,  S.  C.  This  Board  coming  into  ex- 
istence during  the  Civil  War,  was  a  valuable 
agency  in  furnishing  literature  at  a  time  when 
there  was  no  possibiHty  of  obtaining  it  from  other 
sources.  It  had  never  a  very  vigorous  life,  and 
was  incorporated  with  the  Home  Board  in  1873. 
The  present  Sunday-school  Board,  located  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  was  organized  in  1891.  The  year 
1888  witnessed  the  organization  of  the  Woman's 
Missionary  Union,  auxiliary  to  the  Convention. 
The  Union  has  proved  a  faithful  and  untiring 
handmaiden  to  the  Convention.  Thus  the  way 
was  opened  and  those  forces  set  in  motion  which 
have  enabled  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  to 
inaugurate  and  carry  forward  a  great  and  increas- 
ing work. 


II 

THE    woman's    missionary    UNION 

'^PHE  Woman's  Missionary  Union  closed  in  1901 
J-  the  thirteenth  year  of  its  history,  a  history 
that  is  also  a  prophecy  of  yet  greater  beneficence 
and  far-reaching  influence.  Its  organization  was 
the  result  of  a  desire  on  the  part  of  earnest  workers 
to  systematize,  for  mutual  help  and  increased  influ- 
ence, the  work  already  being  done  in  a  number 
of  States. 

The  movement  toward  missionary  organizations 
of  women  was  started  in  Brooklyn  in  i860,  and, 
after  a  number  of  years,  found  its  way  to  Balti- 
more, Md.  There  it  awakened  the  interest  of 
Mrs.  Graves,  mother  of  our  veteran  missionary  in 
China,  Rev.  R.  H.  Graves,  and  through  her  per- 
sonal influence  it  took  root  and  spread  in  several 
places  in  the  South.  South  Carolina  and  Ala- 
bama first  felt  the  impulse,  Virginia  and  Georgia 
quickly  followed,  and  other  States  were  not  far 
behind  in  the  organization  of  local  societies.  The 
corresponding  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board,  Dr.  H.  A.  Tupper,  foreseeing  the  work 
which  this  movement  was  destined  to  accomplish, 

13 


14        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

lent  it  from  the  first  his  unfailing  sympathy  and 
support.  So  early  as  1874  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board  recommended  the  formation  of  women's 
central  committees  in  each  State.  The  interest 
manifested  by  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  natu- 
rally drew  the  societies  into  closer  sympathy  with 
that  Board,  and  hence  for  some  years  the  efforts 
of  the  women  were  almost  exclusively  devoted  to 
foreign  missions. 

That  Southern  Baptist  women  were  organizing 
for  mission  work  and  the  significance  of  that  or- 
ganization was  first  brought  to  the  attention  of 
the  Convention  in  1875.  Five  delegates  to  the 
Convention  represented  contributions  from  wo- 
men's societies.  One  represented  the  "  Woman's 
Mission  to  Woman,"  of  Baltimore  ;  one  the  "  Wo- 
men's Mission  Society  of  Richmond  "  ;  and  three 
represented  societies  connected  with  churches  in 
Savannah,  Atlanta,  and  La  Grange,  Ga.  In  1876 
many  societies  were  reported,  South  Carolina  lead- 
ing with  sixty-eight. 

Two  enterprises  enlisted  especial  interest,  the 
mission  house  at  Tung  Chow  and  that  at  Canton, 
and  for  them  liberal  contributions  were  made. 
Following  the  recommendation  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  in  1876,  central  committees  for 
woman's  work  were  appointed.  "  The  appoint- 
ments were  made  on  nomination  of  judicious  coun- 
sellors in  the  several  States."     In   1878  the  Con- 


THE    woman's    missionary    UNION  15 

vention  lecommencled  the  formation  of  central 
committees  in  all  the  States.  The  report  on 
woman's  work  presented  to  the  Convention  of 
1879  urged  the  formation  of  two  central  commit- 
tees in  each  State,  one  for  home  and  one  for 
foreign  missions,  and  two  societies  in  every  church, 
one  to  co-operate  with  each  of  these  committees. 
This  suggestion  met  with  no  success  except  in 
Baltimore,  where  separate  organizations  are  still 
maintained.  The  Home  Board  had  not  yet  ob- 
tained a  permanent  place  in  the  affections  of  the 
people,  and  "it  soon  became  evident  that  the  work 
could  be  more  efficiently  done  by  one  organization." 
In  1880  central  committees  were  requested  to 
report  to  the  Boards  by  April  i  of  each  year,  and 
the  amount  of  money  raised  was  to  be  incorporated 
in  these  reports.  At  this  time  the  women's  socie- 
ties numbered  about  five  hundred,  and  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  these  contributed  to  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  $6,000.  With  the  reorganization 
of  the  Home  Mission  Board,  and  the  election  of 
Dr.  I.  T.  Tichenor  as  corresponding  secretary  in 
1882,  the  operations  of  this  Board  began  to  excite 
a  deeper  interest  among  the  societies  and  central 
committees.  Fostered  by  the  wise  and  appre- 
ciative secretary,  the  interest  steadily  increased, 
until  in  1898  the  gifts  to  the  Home  Mission  Board, 
including  the  valuation  of  boxes  of  supplies,  ex- 
ceeded those  to  the  Foreian  Mission  Board. 


1 6        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

With  the  growth  of  woman's  work  for  missions 
the  need  of  a  general  organization  became  increas- 
ingly apparent.  For  three  years  a  few  earnest 
women  had  met  during  the  sessions  of  the  Con- 
vention to  discuss  this  need,  but  in  1887,  at  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  a  general  meeting  was  held.  A  number 
of  women  met  by  previous  appointment  to  con- 
sider the  subject.  Some  were  for  immediate 
organization,  but  the  wise  counsel  of  the  majority 
prevailed.  It  was  decided  to  ask  the  central  com- 
mittees of  each  State  to  send  three  delegates  to  a 
meeting  to  be  held  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in  May, 
1888,  to  decide  upon  the  desirability  of  a  general 
committee,  and,  if  found  advisable,  to  provide  for 
its  appointment.  In  response  to  this  request, 
thirty-two  delegates,  representing  twelve  States, 
assembled  at  the  appointed  time.  North  Carolina 
and  Alabama  sent  no  accredited  delegates.  Ten 
of  these  States  cordially  approved  the  movement 
as  an  advance  on  other  methods  and  an  aid  to 
progress  in  mission  work.  Virginia  and  Missis- 
sippi, though  interested,  thought  it  wise  to  delay 
action. 

A  constitution,  framed  with  great  wisdom,  was 
adopted.  It  showed  the  purpose  of  the  organiza- 
tion to  be  the  stimulation  of  the  missionary  spirit 
and  the  grace  of  giving  among  the  women  and 
children  and  the  collection  of  funds  to  be  dis- 
bursed by  the  Boards  ;    its  objects,   to  distribute 


THE    woman's    missionary    UNION  1 7 

missionary  information,  encourage  the  formation  of 
new  societies,  and  secure  the  co-operation  of  women 
and  children  in  raising  money  for  missions.  This 
constitution  has  served  all  requirements,  the  name 
only  needing  to  be  changed  from  the  lesser  title, 
"  Executive  Committee  of  Woman's  Mission  So- 
cieties," to  the  more  comprehensive  one  of  "Wo- 
man's Missionary  Union."  Miss  M.  E.  Mcintosh, 
of  South  Carolina,  was  elected  president,  and  Miss 
Annie  W.  Armstrong,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  corre- 
sponding secretary.  The  Executive  Committee 
was  located  at  Baltimore,  and  a  committee  of  nine 
managers  was  chosen. 

Two  points  were  from  the  beginning  carefully 
guarded  ;  the  first,  that  the  Union  should  be  what 
its  name  indicates,  an  auxiliary  of  the  Convention. 
It  has  never  sought  to  direct  the  policy  of  the 
Boards  either  at  home  or  abroad.  It  has  simply 
carried  out  the  suggestions  of  the  Boards  pre- 
sented at  each  annual  meeting.  The  expenses  of 
the  Union  are  divided  between  the  Boards,  and 
from  the  beginning  the  ofBcers  have  declined  all 
pecuniary  compensation  for  their  services.  The 
other  point,  maintained  with  equal  insistence,  was 
the  supremacy  of  the  central  committees  in  State 
affairs.  The  Union  makes  the  central  committee 
the  intermediary  between  the  local  society  and  it- 
self in  the  distribution  of  literature,  the  circulation 
of  appeals,  and  in  all  other  methods  of  work.    Cen- 

B 


1 8        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

tral  committees  are  not  a  part  of  the  Union,  but 
separate  oiganizations  working  in  harmony  with  it. 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Woman's  Missionary 
Union  consists  of  the  officers  and  eight  delegates 
from  each  State,  accredited  by  the  central  commit- 
tees of  their  States.  A  vice-president  for  each 
State  is  elected  at  the  annual  meeting,  on  nomina- 
tion of  delegates  from  her  own  State,  who  repre- 
sents the  Union  in  all  State  conferences  and  the 
State  on  the  executive  committee  of  the  Union. 
During  the  first  year  Virginia  and  Mississippi  en- 
tered the  Union.  Nearly  $10,000  more  was  con- 
tributed than  during  the  previous  year  of  unorgan- 
ized effort,  making  the  reported  receipts  more  than 
$30,000.  The  Christmas  offering  for  China,  inaug- 
urated this  first  year,  has  become  a  permanent  fea- 
ture of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Union.  The  spe- 
cial work  undertaken  for  the  Home  Board  was  a 
collection  for  the  Havana  church  by  the  Cuban 
brick  cards.  Some  of  the  educational  features 
that  have  characterized  the  Union  and  have  been 
potent  factors  in  its  success  were  inaugurated. 
The  mission  prayer  card,  two  manuals,  one  for 
women's  mission  societies  and  the  other  for  young 
people,  were  prepared  and  circulated  with  the 
annual  report  and  other  leaflets.  The-method  of 
distribution  is  to  send  sample  copies  to  central 
committees,  supplying  free  of  cost  what  is  desired 
for  the  use  of  societies. 


THE    WOMAN  S    MISSIONARY    UNION  IQ 

In  the  second  year,  1890,  Alabama  joined  the 
Union.  The  following  year  North  Carolina  and 
Western  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory  entered. 
A  new  line  of  work  suggested  by  the  Home  Board 
and  adopted  by  the  Union  was  the  sending  of 
boxes  of  supplies  to  frontier  and  other  needy 
home  missionaries.  Both  as  a  means  of  aiding 
the  home  missionaries  and  as  a  means  of  awaken- 
ing an  interest  in,  and  an  appreciation  of,  home 
mission  needs,  it  has  been  entirely  successful. 
This  was  a  year  of  new  enterprises.  A  school  for 
girls  was  opened  in  Cuba.  The  Woman's  Mis- 
sionary Union  took  charge  of  a  mission  depart- 
ment in  "  Kind  Words,"  the  Sunday-school  paper 
then  issued  by  the  Home  Mission  Board.  To 
utilize  existing  agencies  rather  than  to  attempt  to 
create  new  ones  has  been  a  distinctive  policy  of 
Woman's  Missionary  Union  work.  In  pursuance 
of  this  policy,  missionary  information  on  the  mis- 
sion prayer  card  topics  was  sent  to  central  commit- 
tees for  use  in  State  papers. 

In  1892  the  Woman's  Missionary  Union  felt 
the  impulse  of  the  Carey  Centennial  of  Modern 
Missions,  which  had  awakened  the  Baptists  of  the 
world  to  a  special  effort  for  the  advancement  of 
Christ's  kingdom.  Plans  to  secure  greatly  en- 
larged contributions  were  adopted.  Prominent 
among  these  was  the  chapel  card  and  certificate, 
the  object  of  which  was  to  secure  a  fund  for  per- 


20        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

manent  work.  This  plan  proved  eminently  suc- 
cessful. The  week  of  prayer  at  the  beginning 
of  the  new  year,  with  the  prepared  programme  of 
topics,  was  cordially  adopted  by  the  central  com- 
mittees, and  has  since  been  observed  year  by 
year.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  1892,  Miss  F.  E. 
S.  Heck^  of  Raleigh,  N.  C,  was  chosen  president 
of  the  Union. 

The  year  1893  witnessed  a  high  tide  of  enthu- 
siasm and  of  giving.  More  than  $62,000  was 
reported.  A  vast  amount  of  centennial  literature 
was  distributed,  not  only  to  societies  and  bands, 
but  also  to  Sunday-schools.  A  mission  among 
immigrants  was  opened  in  Baltimore,  with  Miss 
Buhlmaier  as  missionary,  and  work  among  the 
colored  people  was  especially  commended.  The 
new  lines  inaugurated  in  1894  were  missionary 
day  in  the  Sunday-schools,  the  Woman's  Mission- 
ary Union  preparing  the  programme,  and  the 
opening  of  a  band  department  in  the  "  Foreign 
Mission  Journal."  Miss  Heck  resigned  from  the 
presidency,  and  Mrs.  A.  M.  Gwathmey,  of  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  served  for  one  year.  The  week  of 
self-denial  in  behalf  of  home  missions  was  insti- 
tuted in  1895,  and  great  interest  was  manifested 
in  its  observance.  In  response  to  a  special  appeal 
from  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  to  raise  $5,000 
toward  its  debt,  more  than  that  amount  was  con- 
tributed.    The  Sunday-school  Board  for  the  first 


THE    WOMAN'S    MISSIONARY    UNION  21 

time  sent  its  recommendations  to  the  Woman's 
Missionary  Union.  Miss  Heck  was  returned  to 
the  presidency  in  1895. 

The  decision  of  the  president  of  the  Southern 
Theological  Seminary  to  devote  one  of  its  mis- 
sionary days  to  the  consideration  of  the  Woman's 
Missionary  Union,  thus  giving  the  preachers  of 
the  future  a  comprehension  of,  and  sympathy  with, 
its  work,  was  the  forward  step  that  marked  the 
year  1896.  Several  new  lines  of  missionary  ac- 
tivity were  inaugurated  in  1897,  and  recommenda- 
tions were  adopted  for  the  enlargement  of  the  Bible 
work  of  the  Sunday-school  Board  and  for  sending 
boxes  of  supplies  to  Sunday-school  missionaries. 
The  Sunbeam  work  was  committed  to  woman's 
care,  and  efforts  to  organize  societies  in  the  Terri- 
tories were  successful.  Letters  of  greeting  were 
sent  to  all  missionaries  in  the  service  of  the  For- 
eign Mission  Board. 

The  Woman's  Missionary  Union  celebrated  its 
tenth  anniversary  in  Norfolk,  Va.,  May,  1898. 
Amid  devout  thanksgiving  for  a  past  of  ever- 
increasing  usefulness  and  a  future  bright  with 
hope  and  encouragement,  it  closed  the  first  decade 
of  its  history.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  1899, 
Miss  Heck  resigned  from  the  presidency  of  the 
union,  and  Mrs.  C.  A.  Stakely,  of  Washington,  D. 
C,  was  chosen  to  succeed  her.  Progress  along  all 
established  lines  of    work  was  noted    during  the 


22        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

year,  and  several  new  lines  were  entered.  Letters 
of  greeting  were  sent  to  the  wives  of  frontier  mis- 
sionaries, a  Babies'  Branch  was  inaugurated,  and, 
through  the  Woman's  Missionary  Union,  $9,000 
in  annuities  was  given  to  the  three  Boards.  With 
the  close  of  the  century  a  new  impetus  seemed  to 
be  given  to  woman's  work.  Contributions  were 
greatly  enlarged,  and  more  than  $S8,ooo  raised 
for  the  three  Boards  was  reported  to  the  Conven- 
tion of  1901.  Three  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, the  gift  of  Southern  Baptist  women  through 
the  Woman's  Missionary  Union,  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  a  much-needed  church  building  and  loan 
fund  for  the  Home  Mission  Board.  The  Woman's 
Missionary  Union  entered  into  hearty  co-operation 
with  the  committee  having  in  charge  new  century 
plans,  and  endeavored  to  carry  out  the  sugges- 
tions of  the  committee  by  aiding  pastors  to  hold 
new  century  meetings  in  their  churches  and  en- 
deavoring to  increase  the  number  of  women's 
mission  societies.  The  growth  of  the  work  during 
the  past  year  is  probably  due  in  large  measure  to 
these  efforts. 

The  success  of  the  past,  the  prosperity  of  the 
present,  and  the  bright  outlook  for  the  future,  are 
as  one  voice  urging  the  Baptist  women  of  the 
South  to  go  forward  with  the  watchword  ever 
before  them,  "For  God  and  home  and  every 
land." 


Ill 

BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   WORK 

FOR  several  years  after  the  organization  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  a  reluctance 
was  felt  to  separate  in  Bible  operations  from  the 
American  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  which  then 
embraced  the  whole  country.  The  Convention 
therefore  entrusted  its  Bible  work  to  the  Mission 
Boards,  especially  to  the  Domestic  Mission  Board. 
So  early  as  1849  it  was  evident  that  the  work  of 
Bible  distribution  had  but  an  incidental  and  very 
subordinate  place  in  the  operations  of  the  Domes- 
tic Mission  Board.  During  the  previous  three 
years  only  about  $1,500  had  been  contributed  for 
this  purpose,  and  $1,000  of  this  amount  had  been 
furnished  by  the  Virginia  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
ciety. The  Domestic  Mission  Board  earnestly  de- 
sired the  Convention  to  recommend  some  plan  by 
which  the  churches  might  be  awakened  to  the 
importance  of  this  object.  No  lasting  result  could 
be  expected  from  the  preaching  of  its  missionaries 
in  destitute  sections  if  they  could  not  leave  Bibles 
and  Testaments  in  the  homes  of  the  people  to 
carry  on  the  work  they  had  only  begun. 

23 


24        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

It  was  not  deemed  advisable,  at  this  time,  to 
institute  a  new  Board,  but  two  years  later,  in 
1 85 1,  the  matter  was  reconsidered  and  a  Bible 
Board  was  established.  The  committee  on  Bible 
distribution,  of  which  Dr.  J.  B.  Jeter  was  chair- 
man, stated  that  the  Baptists  of  the  South  were 
contributing  less  to  this  important  department  of 
Christian  usefulness  than  their  resources  would 
justify  and  the  needs  of  the  world  imperatively 
demanded.  That  they  were  doing  less  than  in 
former  years  was  attributable  not  to  a  diminution 
of  means,  nor  liberality,  nor  interest  in  the  work, 
but  to  the  want  of  some  central  and  efificient 
organization  for  combining  the  energies,  securing 
the  confidence,  and  eliciting  the  beneficence  of 
the  whole  denomination.  It  was  evident  that  the 
Mission  Boards,  occupied  in  the  cultivation  of 
their  own  fields,  could  not  give  this  department 
the  attention  its  importance  demanded.  The  com- 
mittee advised  the  creation  of  a  new  Board  as  the 
best  way  to  improve  the  situation,  the  Board  hav- 
ing full  authority  to  appoint  agents,  collect  funds, 
receive  bequests,  and  co-operate  with  the  Boards 
of  the  Convention  and  other  Bible  and  Mission 
Boards  in  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  in  the 
most  faithful  versions  of  our  own  and  foreign  lan- 
guages. The  new  Board  was  constituted  under 
the  name  of  the  Bible  Board  of  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Convention,  and  located  in  Nashville,  Tenn. 


BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  2  5 

This  Board  entered  upon  an  arduous  task  beset 
by  many  difficulties.  The  Baptists  of  the  South 
had  ahnost  lost  sight  of  the  importance  of  Bible 
work,  and  a  majority  of  the  States  had  ceased  to 
do  anything  for  it.  Only  a  few  of  them  had  any 
organization  for  Bible  distribution,  and  most  of 
these  were  nearly  extinct.  Virginia  and  Alabama 
were  the  only  States  with  Bible  societies  co- 
operating to  any  extent  with  the  Boards  of  the 
Convention.  The  Virginia  society  was  circulat- 
ing the  Bible  to  a  limited  degree  by  means  of  the 
State  missionaries  and  stood  ready  to  help  the 
Foreign  Mission  Board.  The  Alabama  society 
was  occupied  mainly  in  furnishing  the  missionaries 
of  the  Domestic  Mission  Board  copies  of  the 
Scriptures  for  circulation  within  their  fields.  No 
other  Bible  work  was  being  done  except  what  the 
Bethel  Association  was  doing  within  its  own 
bounds  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  and  through 
the  American  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  The 
churches  of  the  West  and  Southwest  were  awakened 
from  their  apathy  upon  the  Bible  question  by  the 
agitation  of  the  subject  of  revision.  Many  mem- 
bers espoused  the  cause  of  the  Bible  Union  as  a 
revision  organization,  and,  without  considering  its 
complex  character,  became  life-members.  They 
were  thus  indifferent  or  made  neutral  as  to  all 
other  Bible  interests. 

The  aim  of    the   Bible   Board   was  to  have  an 


26        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

organization  in  each  State,  either  in  the  form  of 
a  Board  of  the  State  Convention  or  a  Bible  So- 
ciety auxiliary  to  the  Bible  Board,  and  that  each 
State  in  a  position  to  do  so  should  take  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Bible  interests  within  its  bounds.  The 
wealthy  States,  besides  supplying  their  own  wants, 
were  expected  to  send  up  to  the  Bible  Board  all 
surplus  funds  for  use  in  the  destitute  States  and 
Territories  and  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board.  Virginia  and  Alabama  promptly 
declared  themselves  auxiliary  to  the  Bible  Board, 
and  Maryland,  Georgia,  and  Mississippi  soon  fell 
into  line,  other  States  co-operating  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent. 

The  pestilence  which  swept  over  so  many  of  the 
Southern  States  in  1854  was  followed  by  financial 
depression  that  affected  in  some  measure  all  the  in- 
terests of  the  Convention,  but  it  was  especially  dis- 
astrous to  the  Bible  Board.  Recently  created,  it 
was  not  so  generally  known  and  recognized  as  a 
regular  object  of  beneficence.  In  some  of  the 
States  there  had  never  been  any  practical  recogni- 
tion of  it  as  a  denominational  institution.  An- 
other reason  why  the  receipts  of  the  Board  and  its 
consequent  sphere  of  usefulness  were  limited  was 
the  fact  that  it  had  no  agents.  This  was  partly 
due  to  the  difficulty  of  securing  suitable  and  effi- 
cient men  and  partly  to  the  desire  of  the  Board 
that  each  State  should  have  its  own  Bible  organi- 


BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  2/ 

zation  auxiliary  to  the  Board,  and  that  these  socie- 
ties should  employ  their  own  agents  and  superin- 
tend their  own  work.  Most  of  the  funds  received 
were  unsolicited  free-will  offerings. 

The  Convention  of  1855  instructed  the  Bible 
Board,  in  all  future  appointments  of  colporters,  to 
endeavor  to  negotiate  such  an  arrangement  with 
other  publication  societies  as  would  combine  the 
dissemination  of  their  publications  with  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  Since  the  Bible  Board  preferred  to 
accomplish  its  work  through  the  State  organiza- 
tions it  could  only  recommend  the  instructions  of 
the  Convention  to  these  organizations.  The  Ala- 
bama Baptist  Bible  Society  had  alread}'^  raised  a 
fund  for  the  purchase  of  books  and  soon  estab- 
lished a  depository  and  changed  its  name  to  the 
Alabama  Baptist  Bible  and  Colporter  Society.  It 
became  a  model  for  all  societies  organized  for 
similar  purposes  and  increased  in  prosperity  and 
usefulness,  taking  a  firmer  hold  upon  the  hearts  of 
the  people  and  infusing  new  energy  into  the 
churches.  The  North  Carolina  Baptist  Bible  and 
Publication  Society,  from  its  organization,  com- 
bined the  distribution  of  Bibles  with  denomina- 
tional and  other  religious  books.  It  was  a  well- 
managed  and  efficient  body,  but  its  capital  was 
insufficient  for  the  great  work  of  spreading  Chris- 
tian literature  throughout  the  State,  although  the 
Board  reported  to  the  Convention  of   1857  contri- 


28        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

butions  almost  three  times  as  large  as  those  of 
any  previous  year.  Almost  all  of  the  work  of  the 
Board  was  accomplished  through  its  permanent 
auxiliaries,  though  contributions  were  received 
from  States  having  neither  Bible  society  nor 
Board. 

The  political  and  financial  upheaval  incident  to 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  had  a  most  dis- 
astrous effect  upon  the  Bible  Board,  It  was  left 
to  battle  with  untoward  circumstances  almost  un- 
aided, and  when  Nashville  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Union  army  all  communication  with  its  con- 
stituency was  cut  off.  Prior  to  this  time  the 
Board  had  contracted  for  twenty  thousand  copies 
of  the  New  Testament,  pocket  edition,  for  distri- 
bution in  the  army.  About  fourteen  thousand 
copies  were  distributed  between  the  months  of 
September,  1861,  and  February,  1862,  when  the 
Union  forces  occupied  Nashville.  The  Board 
continued  to  hold  meetings,  though  it  could  ac- 
complish very  little  and  its  secretary  had  entered 
the  army.  The  report  forwarded  to  the  Conven- 
tion of  1863  was  a  meagre  one,  and  was  never 
received  by  that  body. 

Meanwhile  the  Convention  of  1861  had  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  inquire  into  the  possibility 
of  effecting  a  union  between  the  Bible  Board  and 
the  Southern  Baptist  Publication  Society,  but 
before    the    Bible    Board  could    be  consulted  all 


BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  29 

intercourse  with  Nashville  was  cut  off  and  the 
end  proposed  was  unattainable.  This  committee 
decided  that  the  Bible  cause  could  be  as  effectually- 
conducted  under  the  direction  of  the  other  Boards 
of  the  Convention  as  by  a  separate  organization, 
and  recommended  that  the  Bible  Board  be  abol- 
ished. The  report  of  the  committee  was  adopted, 
and  the  Bible  Board  passed  out  of  existence  under 
stress  of  circumstances  which  precluded  any  dis- 
cussion of  the  wisdom  of  either  initiation  or  dis- 
continuance. 

The  year  that  witnessed  the  dissolution  of  the 
Bible  Board  witnessed  also  the  formation  of  a 
Sunday-school  and  Publication  Board.  This  Board 
was  located  at  Greenville,  S.  C,  and  had  for  its 
president,  Basil  Manly,  Jr.  Its  first  meeting  was 
held  May  i8,  1863.  An  address  was  issued  to  the 
Baptists  of  the  Confederate  States,  setting  forth 
the  reasons  which  were  believed  to  have  decided 
the  Convention  to  organize  a  Sunday-school  Board, 
indicating  the  plans  which  the  Board  had  formed, 
and  asking  for  voluntary  agents  and  general  help. 
The  appeal  met  with  encouragement.  Collections 
were  taken  at  churches.  Associations,  and  State 
Conventions,  the  first,  amounting  to  $3,000,  being 
received  from  the  General  Association  of  Vir- 
ginia, which  met  in  June,  1863.  The  denomina- 
tional papers  commended  the  Sunday-school  cause 
and  the  efforts  of  the  new  organization,  and  the 


30        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Sunday-school  Boards  existing  in  some  of  the 
States  expressed  their  willingness  to  co-operate 
with  it. 

The  Board  realized  that  great  difficulties  encom- 
passed the  work  committed  to  it  and  that  some 
devoted  adherents  of  the  Sunday-school  cause 
thought  that,  under  the  unusual  circumstances  of 
the  times,  such  an  organization  could  accomplish 
little.  It  was  careful  to  attempt  only  what  seemed 
most  important  and  most  practicable,  intending  to 
extend  operations  as  the  way  opened.  The  work 
was  new  and  untried,  and,  desiring  to  avoid  expense, 
the  Board  determined  to  rely  entirely  upon  volun- 
tary work.  Much  time  was  given  by  the  president 
and  corresponding  secretary  and  others,  but  a 
salaried  officer,  who  could  attend  to  its  affairs 
with  greater  regularity,  was  found  indispensable. 
The  Board  was  fortunate  in  securing  the  services 
of  Dr.  John  A.  Broadus  for  a  portion  of  his  time, 
and  he  entered  upon  his  duties  as  corresponding 
secretary,  October  i,  1863. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  Board  the 
president  sent  a  request  to  brethren  in  Baltimore, 
asking  that  they  arrange  for  the  purchase  of 
twenty-five  thousand  Testaments  for  the  use  of 
Sunday-schools.  Dr.  Richard  Fuller  forwarded 
Doctor  Manly's  letter  to  the  secretary  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  and  that  society  promptly 
and  generously  tendered  twenty-five  thousand  Te.s- 


BIULE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  3 1 

laments  to  the  Sunday-school  Board  as  a  donation. 
The  spirit  in  which  the  gift  was  made  is  evinced 
in  the  following  expressions  from  a  letter  addressed 
by  Dr.  W.  J.  R.  Taylor,  corresponding  secretary 
of  the  American  Bible  Society,  to  Doctor  Fuller. 
He  said :  "  I  assure  you  that  we  have  acted  in  this 
matter  with  prompt  and  willing  hearts,  and  we 
trust  that,  although  Mr.  Manly  authorized  you  to 
negotiate  for  the  purchase  of  these  volumes,  the 
Board  of  which  he  is  president  will  be  pleased  to 
accept  them,  and  that  the  blessing  of  God  may  go 
with  every  volume  to  every  child  for  whom  it  is  de- 
signed." The  books  were  fonvarded  at  once  under 
a  flag  of  truce.  The  Board  declined  to  accept  the 
Testaments  as  a  gift,  but  acknowledged  the  Chris- 
tian courtesy,  said  it  would  receive  and  distribute 
them,  and  would  pay  for  them  when  commercial 
intercourse  became  practicable.  The  books  were 
divided  among  the  accessible  States  from  Virginia 
to  Mississippi,  and  were  nearly  all  sold.  A  box 
of  fourteen  hundred,  destined  for  some  section 
hitherto  inaccessible,  was  in  Richmond  when  it 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Union  army.  The  sale 
of  Testaments  was  restricted  to  Sunday-schools  of 
the  Baptist  denomination,  and  a  nominal  price 
of  ten  cents  was  charged  for  them.  When  this 
supply  was  exhausted  the  Board  could  no  longer 
furnish  them. 

The  first  publications  of  the  Board  were  a  Con- 


32        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

federate  Sunday-school  hymn  book  and  a  prize 
essay  by  Rev,  George  B.  Taylor,  entitled  "  Hints 
for  Originating  and  Conducting  Sunday-schools." 
A  monthly  paper  for  children,  called  *'  The  Child's 
Index,"  was  also  issued,  and  every  effort  made  to 
give  it  wide  circulation.  Early  in  1864  the  Board 
decided  to  employ  a  general  Sunday-school  mis- 
sionary for  each  State,  who  should  seek  to  arouse 
the  churches  to  the  importance  of  Sunday-school 
work.  These  missionaries  were  to  procure  such 
assistance,  voluntary  or  paid,  as  might  be  found 
practicable.  It  proved  difficult  to  employ  suitable 
men  in  the  several  States.  The  demand  for  min- 
isters in  regular  pastoral  work  was  greater  than  in 
times  of  peace.  Many  had  entered  the  army  as 
chaplains,  a  number  had  entered  military  service 
as  officers  or  privates,  and  some  felt  it  their  duty 
to  devote  themselves  to  secular  pursuits  at  home. 
Death  was  continually  robbing  the  ranks  of  the 
ministry,  and  no  new  recruits  were  being  enrolled. 
It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  it  was  difficult 
to  procure  workers  for  the  various  departments  of 
Christian  enterprise.  The  services,  however,  of 
several  most  capable  men  were  secured  for  Sun- 
day-school work  :  Rev.  William  E.  Hatcher  in 
Virginia,  Rev.  J.  A.  Chambliss  in  South  Carolina, 
Rev.  W.  T.  Brantly  in  Georgia,  and  Rev.  W.  E. 
Chambliss  in  Alabama.  These  men,  though  their 
efforts  were  confined  to  a  few  months,  reported 


BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  33 

generous  contributions.  The  uncertainty  of  the 
mails  and  the  confusion  that  reigned  throughout 
the  South  made  it  difficult  to  obtain  regular  reports 
of  their  efforts  in  other  directions. 

The  Board  had  laid  plans  for  a  more  extensive 
system  of  missionary  effort  for  1865,  but  the  dis- 
asters of  the  winter  and  spring  made  it  more  diffi- 
cult than  ever  before  to  find  missionaries,  and  its 
finances  were  not  in  a  condition  to  pay  salary 
enough  for  their  support.  The  work  of  the  Board 
was  practically  suspended  for  several  months  after 
the  close  of  the  war.  Its  first  effort  toward  re- 
viving that  work  was  the  publication  of  a  small 
monthly  paper  entitled  "Kind  Words  for  the  Sun- 
day-school Children,"  which  was  issued  in  Janu- 
ary, 1866,  and  soon  attained  a  circulation  of  nearly 
twenty-five  thous-and  copies. 

The  Board  resumed  more  active  operations  im- 
mediately after  the  meeting  of  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Convention  in  May,  1865.  Its  condition  and 
prospects  were  not  flattering.  The  treasury  was 
not  only  empty,  but  an  assumed  indebtedness  for 
Testaments  of  over  ;^2,ooo  hung  over  it.  Part  of 
the  stock  had  been  sold  for  Confederate  currency, 
which  was  worthless.  Some  had  been  consumed 
in  the  burning  of  Columbia,  some  had  been  lost  in 
transportation,  and  the  little  remaining  was  of 
such  inferior  material  and  so  unattractive  in  ap- 
pearance   as    to    be    unsalable.     The    Board    was 

c 


34        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

without  plates  from  which  to  publish  and  had  no 
adequate  means  for  distribution  if  books  had  been 
at  hand.  The  people  were  discouraged  and  im- 
poverished, some  verging  on  actual  want,  and  it 
was  difficult  to  secure  any  response  to  appeals  for 
contributions. 

The  first  act  of  the  newly  elected  corresponding 
secretary,  Rev.  C.  C.  Bitting,  was  to  issue  an 
address  which  was  widely  distributed  by  circular 
and  newspaper,  but,  so  far  as  was  known,  not  a 
dollar  was  received  in  response.  He  then  found 
it  necessary  to  visit  churches  and  Associations. 
In  1866,  as  in  1863,  the  first  contribution  was 
received  from  the  General  Association  of  Virginia. 
In  the  embarrassed  state  of  its  finances  the  Board 
decided  to  accept  as  a  donation  the  Testaments 
which  the  Bible  Society  had  always  considered  as 
such.  On  conferring  with  the  Bible  Society  it 
was  learned  that  the  amount  had  been  entered  on 
the  books  of  the  society  as  a  donation,  and  the 
bill  had  been  sent  reluctantly  and  only  in  defer- 
ence to  the  request  of  Doctor  Broadus,  and  be- 
cause the  Board  of  managers  realized  that  a  feeling 
of  honor  and  obligation  lay  beneath  it.  The  debt 
was  soon  canceled,  and  the  Sunday-school  Board 
passed  a  resolution  accepting  the  donation  and 
expressing  sincere  gratitude  to  the  Board  of  man- 
agers of  the  American  Bible  Society  for  their 
whole  course  in  the  matter  and  for  the  generos- 


BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  35 

ity  and  courtesy  which  the  society  had  exhibited 
toward  the  needy  people  of  the  South. 

As  soon  as  practicable  the  Board  issued  a  num- 
ber of  hymn  books,  question  books,  and  other 
literature  for  Sunday-school  use,  and  endeavored 
to  lay  the  foundation  for  a  permanent  and  exten- 
sive work,  adapted  and  competent  to  supply  the 
needs  of  the  Baptist  Sunday-schools  throughout 
the  field  of  the  Convention. 

A  proposition  from  the  Southern  Baptist  Sab- 
bath-school Union  to  unite  its  interests  with  those 
of  the  Sunday-school  Board  was  received  by  the 
Convention  of  1867.  The  consolidation  was  ef- 
fected, and  the  Board  removed  to  Memphis,  Tenn., 
in  1868.  Rev.  S.  H.  Ford  was  elected  president, 
and  Rev.  T.  C.  Teasdale,  corresponding  secretary. 
The  change  of  location  naturally  retarded  the 
work  of  the  Board.  In  addition,  its  affairs  were 
in  a  complicated  condition,  and  many  of  its  con- 
stituency were  disposed  to  abandon  it  altogether. 
To  increase  the  difBculties  of  its  position  the  whole 
country  was  suffering  from  a  financial  pressure 
unparalleled  in  the  past  history  of  the  South  and 
West.  The  old  and  well-established  organizations 
found  themselves  embarrassed,  and  this  Board 
had  to  operate  in  a  new  and,  to  a  great  extent, 
uncultivated  field,  while  the  sections  from  which 
aid  was  expected  manifested  little  sympathy  with 
its  operations.      Notwithstanding  these  difficulties 


36        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

and  discouragements,  so  prudently  did  the  Board 
conduct  its  affairs  that  in  1869  its  indebtedness 
was  largely  lessened  and  all  its  operations  were 
self-sustaining.  In  order  to  prevent  any  rival  in- 
terest in  the  field,  the  Board  purchased  a  small 
paper  entitled  "The  Child's  Delight,"  edited  by 
Dr.  Samuel  Boykin,  of  Macon,  Ga.,  whose  services 
were  secured  as  associate  editor  with  the  cor- 
responding secretary,  Mr.  Teasdale. 

After  a  checkered  career  of  ten  years  the  Sun- 
da}'-school  Board  was  united  to  the  Domestic  and 
Indian  Mission  Board  by  a  resolution  passed  by  the 
Convention  of  1873.  The  resolution  provided  for 
the  publication  of  "Kind  Words"  and  the  stere- 
otyped books  of  the  Sunday-school  Board,  but 
without  pecuniary  liability  on  the  part  of  the  Con- 
vention. 

Sunday-school  and  publication  interests  did  not 
become  an  integral  part  of  the  work  of  the  Domes- 
tic Board,  and  their  influence  and  efficiency  were 
very  limited.  For  almost  a  score  of  years  the 
struggling  Sunday-school  interests  of  the  South 
were  largely  dependent  upon  the  American  Bap- 
tist Publication  Society.  As  the  closing  decade 
of  the  nineteenth  century  drew  near  the  question 
of  a  Southern  Sunday-school  organization  began 
to  be  agitated  and  at  the  Convention  of  1891,  held 
in  Birmingham,  Ala.,  a  committee  consisting  of 
one  member  from   each   State  was  appointed   to 


BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  3/ 

consider  the  report  of  the  Sunday-school  commit- 
tee. This  committee,  of  which  Dr.  J.  M.  Frost 
was  chairman,  brought  in  a  report,  of  which  the 
following  are  the  salient  points  : 

(2)  We  recommend  the  adoption  of  this  suggestion  to 
create  a  new  Board,  to  be  called  the  Sunday-school  Board 
of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  to  have  a  correspond- 
ing secretary,  and  to  be  nominated  from  year  to  year  as  the 
other  two  Boards  are. 

(3)  That  said  Board  be  entrusted  with  the  Convention' s 
Sunday-school  series,  and  be  authorized  to  use  their  best 
efforts  to  improve  the  series  and  to  increase  the  circulation, 
but  shall  not  engage  in  any  other  publication  work,  except 
as  hereinafter  provided. 

(14)  That  the  Board  be  entrusted  with  the  Sunday-school 
interests  in  our  territory,  and  be  requested  to  gather  statis- 
tical information  as  to  the  condition  of  our  Sunday-schools, 
to  see  what  can  be  done  toward  increasing  their  number  and 
efficiency,  and  by  annual  report  to  bring  the  whole  Sunday- 
school  work  fully  before  the  sessions  of  the  Convention. 

(18)  The  Board  in  its  work  will  aid  mission  Sunday- 
schools  by  contributions  of  literature  and  money;  doing  this, 
however,  through  State  organizations,  and  using  for  this  pur- 
pose the  net  proceeds  of  the  business,  together  with  all  con- 
tributions therefor,  provided  that,  while  the  secretary  may, 
when  necessary,  raise  funds  for  the  promotion  of  the  Sun- 
day-school interests  committed  to  the  Board,  no  system  of 
State  or  sub-agencies  shall  be  organized. 

In  conclusion,  your  committee,  in  its  long  and  earnest  con- 
sideration of  this  whole  matter  in  all  its  environments,  have 
been  compelled  to  take  account  of  the  well-known  fact,  that 
there  are  widely  divergent  views  held  among  us  by  brethren 
equally  earnest,   consecrated,   and  devoted  to  the  best  in- 


38         MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

terests  of  the  Master's  kingdom.  It  is,  therefore,  recom- 
mended that  the  fullest  freedom  of  choice  be  accorded  to 
every  one  as  to  what  literature  he  will  use  or  support,  and 
that  no  brother  be  disparaged  in  the  slightest  degree  on  ac- 
count of  what  he  may  do  in  the  exercise  of  his  right  as 
Christ' s  freeman.  But  we  would  earnestly  urge  all  brethren 
to  give  this  Board  a  fair  consideration,  and  in  no  case  to 
obstruct  it  in  the  great  work  assigned  it  by  this  Convention. 

Apprehensive  of  continued  friction  that  seemed 
imminent  from  the  sentiments  more  or  less  sup- 
pressed on  the  part  of  many  members  of  the  Con- 
vention, Doctor  Broadus  came  forward  in  a  concil- 
iatory speech  and  urged  that  for  the  sake  of  peace 
the  report  be  adopted.  The  question  was  immedi- 
ately called  for  and  the  report  adopted.  Thus  the 
Sunday-school  Board  located  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
came  into  existence.  At  its  first  meeting  the 
Board  unanimously  elected  Lansing  Burrows,  d.  d., 
of  Augusta,  Ga.,  as  its  corresponding  secretary,  but 
he  declined  to  accept  the  position.  The  services 
of  J.  M.  Frost,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  Leigh  Street 
Church,  Richmond,  Va.,  were  then  secured  as 
corresponding  secretary  of  the  Board,  to  which 
position  was  added  the  editorship  of  the  "  Conven- 
tion Teacher."  S.  Boykin,  d.  d.,  was  retained  as 
editor  for  the  other  publications  in  the  Sunday- 
school  series. 

During  the  second  year  of  its  operations  the 
Sunday-school  Board  donated  in  literature  to  mis- 


BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  39 

sion  schools  over  ^i,ooo  and  appropriated  more 
than  ^3,000  in  cash  to  the  interest  of  Sunday- 
school  missions  in  the  different  States.  In  accord- 
ance with  the  instructions  of  the  Convention  in 
creating  this  Board,  the  appropriations  were  made 
through  and  in  conjunction  with  existing  State 
organizations.  In  December,  1892,  Doctor  Frost 
resigned  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Nashville,  and  T.  P.  Bell,  d.  d., 
the  Assistant  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  For- 
eign Mission  Board,  was  elected  to  succeed  him. 
By  securing  the  observance  of  Missionary  Day  in 
the  Sunday-schools  the  Sunday-school  Board  linked 
itself  to  the  interests  of  the  Home  and  Foreign 
Boards,  the  amounts  collected  being  sent  to  the 
Sunday-school  Board  for  distribution  between  the 
other  two  Boards.  The  day  was  first  observed  in 
1894,  and  met  with  such  success  that  it  has  be- 
come a  permanent  institution.  The  programmes 
sent  out  by  the  Sunday-school  Board  for  the  ob- 
servance of  Missionary  Day  are  prepared  by  the 
Women's  Missionary  Union. 

Doctor  Bell  resigned  the  secretaryship  of  the 
Board  in  1896,  and  the  vacancy  was  immediately 
filled  by  the  election  of  Doctor  Frost,  who  had 
served  the  Board  as  its  secretary  and  for  three 
years  previous  had  been  its  president.  At  this 
time  a  proposal  was  received  from  the  American 
Baptist  Publication  Society,  at  Philadelphia,  "look- 


40        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

ing  to  the  unification  of  publishing  interests  and 
the  securing  of  greater  harmony  in  the  pubHcation 
of  Sunday-school  literature."  The  plan  did  not 
commend  itself  to  the  Sunday-school  Board  and  the 
proposal  was  declined,  the  Board  "  deeming  such 
alliance  neither  desirable  nor  feasible." 

In  1897  the  Board  made  an  effort  to  introduce 
the  Home  Department  into  the  Sunday-schools  of 
the  South  and  with  some  degree  of  success.  The 
Home  Department  endeavors  to  carry  the  work  of 
the  Sunday-school  as  to  its  lesson  and  missionary 
study  into  the  homes  in  order  to  reach  those  who 
do  not  attend  its  sessions.  The  year  1898  marked 
several  forward  movements.  Bible  Day  was  first 
observed  by  the  Sunday-schools  in  the  summer  of 
that  year,  the  programme  for  the  day  being  pre- 
pared by  the  Woman's  Missionary  Union.  An 
almanac  was  published  that  contained,  in  addition 
to  the  calendar,  much  denominational  information, 
and  set  forth  in  attractive  form  all  the  work  of  the 
Convention.  Dr.  Lansing  Burrows  edited  this 
work.  Another  advance  was  the  publication  of  a 
book  entitled  "The  Story  of  Yates  the  Missionary," 
by  Dr.  Charles  E.  Taylor.  The  Board  set  aside 
$500  for  the  publication  of  books,  calling  it  the 
Matthew  T.  Yates  Publishing  Fund.  Another  en- 
dowment of  ^500  was  given  by  B.  C.  Garvey,  of 
Kentucky,  in  honor  of  his  wife  and  is  known  as  the 
Eva  Garvey  Publishing  Fund.    These  endowments. 


BIBLE    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK  4 1 

with  Others  as  they  may  be  added,  will  constitute 
a  permanent  publishing  fund. 

In  November,  1899,  Doctor  Boykin  was  called 
to  rest  from  his  labors  and  accorded  the  well  done 
of  the  faithful  servant.  His  position  was  filled  by 
Rev.  I.  J.  Van  Ness,  who  had  formerly  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  and  the  editor  of  the  "  Young 
People's  Leader."  In  the  spring  of  1901,  Rev.  B. 
W.  Spillman,  an  experienced  Sunday-school  worker 
of  North  Carolina,  was  employed  as  field  secretary 
and  entered  upon  his  duties  in  June.  His  work  is 
to  promote  the  Sunday-school  cause  in  whatever 
way  may  be  open  to  him  and  in  accordance  with 
the  wishes  and  co-operation  of  the  brethren. 

The  Sunday-school  Board  claims  to  be  a  mis- 
sionary organization  and  states  that  "its  work  is 
largely  if  not  altogether  educational.  This  work 
is  done  through  the  periodicals,  through  the  distri- 
bution of  books  and  tracts,  through  Missionary 
Day  exercises,  and  through  whatever  means  it  can 
introduce  to  make  the  work  of  the  Board  effective 
in  setting  forth  the  mission  doctrine,  awakening 
the  mission  spirit,  and  quickening  the  mission  life." 


IV 

THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION 

THE  great  empire  of  China,  with  its  vast  area, 
its  teeming  millions,  and  its  immeasurable 
needs,  has  touched  the  heart  of  the  Christian  world 
and  quickened  it  to  a  depth  of  interest  that  neither 
difficulty,  danger,  nor  death  has  been  able  to 
quench.  Before  her  doors  were  open  to  the  for- 
eigner, Robert  Morrison  had  forced  an  entrance 
and  had  cleared  the  way  for  future  missionaries 
by  preparing  a  grammar  and  dictionary  and  trans- 
lating the  Scriptures  into  the  Chinese  language. 

To  the  Triennial  Convention  belongs  the  honor 
of  having  sent  out  the  first  American  Baptist  mis- 
sionary to  China,  Rev.  J.  Lewis  Shuck,  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  sailed  under  its  appointment,  September 
22,  1835.  Ml"-  Shuck's  call  to  mission  work  was 
no  uncertain  one.  Shortly  after  his  conversion  he 
attended  a  missionary  meeting,  and,  when  contri- 
butions were  called  for,  put  into  the  box  a  card 
with  "myself"  written  upon  it.  This  was  his 
offering.  He  was  set  apart  as  a  missionary  in  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Richmond,  on  September 
10,  1835,  a  few  days  after  his  marriage  to  Miss 
42 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  43 

Henrietta  Hall,  of  Virginia.  Just  one  year  after 
their  departure  from  America,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shuck 
landed  in  Macao  and  established  the  first  American 
Baptist  mission  in  China.  They  remained  there 
until  1842,  when  they  removed  to  Hong  Kong  for 
better  protection,  the  fortunes  of  war  having  trans- 
ferred that  island  to  the  British  government.  In 
Hong  Kong  Mr.  Shuck  built  two  chapels,  estab- 
lished a  school,  and  preached  each  Sabbath  in 
Chinese  and  EngHsh.  After  Canton  was  opened 
to  foreigners  he  and  his  wife  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  that  city,  where  Mr.  Shuck  organized 
what  is  known  as  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Canton,  and,  in  connection  with  Mr.  I.  J.  Roberts, 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  South  China  Mission, 
After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Shuck,  in  1844,  Mr. 
Shuck  returned  to  America,  arriving  in  February, 
1846. 

Toward  the  needy  and  promising  field  of  China 
the  attention  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  was 
directed  immediately  after  its  organization.  Efforts 
were  made  to  secure  suitable  men  as  missionaries, 
and  in  August,  1845,  Samuel  C.  Clopton  and 
George  Pearcy  presented  themselves  to  the  Board. 
Both  were  Virginians,  graduates  of  Columbian 
College,  and  men  of  piety  and  ability.  With  a 
view  to  increased  usefulness,  they  remained  for 
several  months  at  the  medical  college  in  Rich- 
mond in  order  to   attend   lectures.     At  the  first 


44        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

anniversary  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
held  in  June,  1846,  these  two  young  men  were  set 
apart  for  mission  work  in  China,  and,  with  their 
wives,  sailed  for  their  lields  a  few  days  later.  Rev. 
J.  L.  Shuck  and  his  Chinese  assistant,  Yong  Sen 
Sang,  were  present  at  the  Convention  and  assisted 
in  the  designation  services,  making  a  fine  im- 
pression. Mr.  Shuck  addressed  the  Convention, 
giving  much  valuable  information  in  regard  to  the 
Chinese  Empire,  the  condition  of  the  Chinese,  and 
the  prospect  for  success  in  missionary  work. 

Yong  Sen  Sang  was  introduced,  and  with  easy 
grace  and  dignity  expressed  his  gratitude  to  God 
and  to  the  Christians  in  this  country  for  sending 
the  gospel  to  China,  and  said  he  had  one  request 
to  make,  and  that  was  that  all  the  disciples  in 
their  prayers  morning  and  evening  would  plead 
for  China.-  There  are  few  now  living  who  remem- 
ber this  first  Chinese  convert  who  visited  America, 
yet  to  many  of  us  has  come  down  from-  parent  or 
grandparent  some  knowledge  of  the  tall,  spare 
man,  with  open,  benign  countenance  and  affable 
manners,  who  first  demonstrated  to  American 
Christians  the  transforming  power  of  the  gospel 
in  a  Chinaman's  soul.  Though  untiring  in  his 
efforts  to  spread  the  gospel  in  China,  he  was 
never  aggressive,  and  in  the  reformation  of  his 
country  he  may  be  characterized  as  a  Melanchthon 
rather  than  a  Luther. 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  45 

Mr.  Shuck  had  come  home  deeply  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  erecting  a  house  of  wor- 
ship in  Canton.  He  published  an  appeal,  signed 
by  himself  and  three  native  helpers,  in  which  he 
said  no  religion  was  respectable  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Chinese  unless  connected  with  a  public  building. 
There  were  in  Canton  one  hundred  and  eighty 
heathen  temples,  besides  pagodas  and  ancestral 
halls.  In  company  with  Yong  Sen  Sang,  Mr. 
Shuck  traveled  through  the  South  to  collect 
funds,  and  everywhere  met  with  a  ready  response 
to  his  appeals.  When  the  Board  decided  to  open 
a  mission  in  Shanghai,  Mr.  Shuck  was  transferred 
to  that  field,  as  his  experience  was  deemed  valua- 
ble in  opening  a  new  station.  The  amount  he 
had  collected  for  his  chapel  fund,  $5,000,  was 
then  appropriated  to  a  chapel  in  Shanghai. 

When  Messrs.  Clopton  and  Pearcy  arrived  in 
Canton  they  found  Mr.  I,  J.  Roberts  in  charge  of 
the  work.  Mr.  Roberts  had  gone  out  to  China 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Roberts  Fund  Society, 
of  which  $30,000  contributed  by  himself  formed 
the  basis.  As  the  income  of  this  fund  was  not 
sufficient  for  his  support  he  connected  himself 
with  the  Triennial  Convention.  A  few  months 
after  the  organization  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention  he  offered  himself  to  that  body.  The 
first  years  of  his  missionary  life  were  spent  at 
Macao,  where  he  had   a   congregation   of   lepers, 


46        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

and  at  Hong  Kong  in  company  with  Mr.  Shuck. 
In  May,  1844,  he  opened  a  mission  in  Canton, 
being  the  first  American  Baptist,  if  not  the  first 
Baptist  missionary,  in  that  city.  He  soon  gathered 
a  church  of  six  or  seven  members,  several  of  whom 
became  useful  in  proclaiming  the  gospel.  He  pro- 
cured a  floating  chapel,  where  regular  services 
were  maintained,  and  had  published  and  circu- 
lated thousands  of  tracts  and  portions  of  the 
Scriptures. 

Messrs.  Clopton  and  Pearcy  set  themselves  dili- 
gently to  the  study  of  the  language,  and  were  just 
beginning  to  use  it  to  advantage  and  to  experience 
the  joy  of  preaching  the  gospel  in  a  foreign  tongue, 
when  the  former  was  stricken  with  fever  and  died. 
A  few  months  later  Mrs.  Clopton  and  her  little 
boy  sailed  for  America.  The  missionary  home 
was  destined  soon  to  be  broken  up.  Mr.  Pearcy's 
health  failed  rapidly.  It  seemed  as  if  he  would 
follow  Mr.  Clopton,  and,  with  his  wife  and  Mr. 
Francis  C.  Johnson,  who  had  just  arrived  in  Can- 
ton, he  went  to  Hong  Kong  to  spend  the  summer 
of  1847.  There  was  no  permanent  improvement 
in  his  condition,  and,  by  the  advice  of  his  physi- 
cian, he  removed  to  Shanghai,  and  was  soon  after 
transferred  to  that  mission. 

Mr.  Johnson  had  been  appointed  by  the  Board 
to  undertake  the  special  work  of  instructing  native 
preachers,  its  attention  having  been  called  to  this 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  47 

need.  He  had  exceptional  capacity  for  acquiring 
languages,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time  began 
to  address  the  people.  He  endeavored  to  become 
thoroughly  identified  with  the  Chinese  in  life  and 
thought,  even  to  pray  and  meditate,  naturally  and 
mechanically,  in  the  Chinese  language.  He  is 
said  to  have  kept  his  diary  in  Chinese.  Through 
lack  of  care  his  health  failed  utterly,  and  he  was 
advised  to  return  to  America, 

On  the  twenty-third  of  February,  1849,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  B.  W.  Whilden  landed  in  Canton,  coming  as 
a  much-needed  reinforcement  to  the  mission,  deci- 
mated by  the  sickness  and  death  of  missionaries. 
Mrs.  Whilden  possessed  an  ardent  missionary 
spirit,  and  it  was  in  answer  to  her  many  prayers 
that  her  husband  offered  himself  to  the  Board. 
Both  were  South  Carolinians,  and  in  the  old  First 
Church,  of  Charleston,  Mr.  Whilden  was  set  apart 
to  preach  Christ  among  the  heathen.  The  meet- 
ing was  solemn  and  impressive,  and  bore  testi- 
mony to  the  deep  interest  felt  by  the  people  in 
the  cause  of  foreign  missions.  Scarcely  a  year  of 
service  in  her  chosen  field  was  permitted  Mrs. 
Whilden,  for  in  February,  1850,  she  entered  into 
rest,  leaving  her  missionary  zeal  and  enthusiasm 
as  a  precious  legacy  to  her  children,  two  of  whom 
in  later  years  took  up  the  work  for  which  she  laid 
down  her  life.  A  few  months  after  his  wife's 
death,  Mr.  Whilden  returned  to  bring  his  children 


48        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

to  the  homeland.  As  Mr.  Roberts  had  preceded 
him  to  America,  he  left  the  mission  in  charge  of 
Rev.  J.  B.  French,  of  the  American  Board,  with 
whom  the  most  fraternal  relations  had  been  sus- 
tained. During  Mr.  Whilden's  absence,  Mr.  Rob- 
erts' connection  with  the  Board  was  severed. 
Though  a  man  of  zeal  and  devotion,  he  was  erratic 
and  imprudent,  and  it  was  difficult  for  his  fellow- 
missionaries  to  maintain  harmonious  relations  with 
him.  He  remained  in  China  as  an  independent 
missionary  for  a  number  of  years,  but  returned  to 
America  in  1866,  and  resided  at  Upper  Alton, 
Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1871,  from  leprosy  con- 
tracted during  his  missionary  life. 

Mr.  Whilden  returned  to  Canton  in  1853.  He 
found  that  Mr.  French  had  faithfully  and  disin- 
terestedly administered  the  affairs  of  the  mission 
during  his  absence,  and  he  was  cheered  by  an 
increasing  interest.  The  mission  was  reinforced 
by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  W.  Gaillard  in 
the  summer  of  1854,  and,  when  Mr.  Whilden  was 
compelled  to  return  to  America  early  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  Mr.  Gaillard  was  left  in  charge  of  the 
work.  He  felt  deeply  the  responsibility  of  the 
mission,  great  indeed,  with  an  imperfect  knowledge 
of  the  language,  and  no  American  associates.  In 
company  with  Yong  Seen  Sang,  who  had  returned 
from  Shanghai,  he  engaged  extensively  in  the  dis- 
tribution of    the   Scriptures,  not  only  in  Canton 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  49 

but  in  a  number  of  other  towns.  In  one  of  these, 
a  town  of  five  or  six  thousand  inhabitants,  they 
found  a  disciple  by  the  name  of  Lye,  who  told 
them  he  had  been  baptized  by  Mr.  Shuck  about 
ten  years  before.  He  seemed  very  glad  to  see 
them  and  said  he  had  tried  to  teach  the  gospel  to 
his  fellow-townsmen,  but  none  of  them  would  be- 
lieve it.  He  had  only  a  small  part  of  the  New 
Testament  to  guide  him  in  his  Christian  life. 
Services  were  conducted  daily  at  two  chapels  in 
Canton,  the  attendance  averaging  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  at  one  chapel  and  from  one  to  two 
hundred  at  the  other.  Three  schools  were  main- 
tained, with  an  enrollment  of  sixty-nine. 

After  more  than  a  year  of  lonely,  untiring  effort, 
Mr.  Gaillard  welcomed  Rev.  Roswell  P.  Graves  in 
August,  1856.  Mr.  Graves  was  a  native  of  Balti- 
more, Md.,  where  he  was  baptized  by  Dr.  Richard 
Fuller.  His  heart  was  turned  toward  China  by 
hearing  Mr.  Shuck  tell  of  its  four  hundred  million 
people  without  the  knowledge  of  Jesus.  With  a 
view  to  mission  work  he  took  the  degree  of  doc- 
tor of  medicine.  The  missionaries  thought  the 
prospect  encouraging,  but  hostilities  breaking  out 
between  China  and  England  dissipated  the  hope- 
ful prospect.  Nearly  all  the  city  outside  of  the 
walls  was  destroyed,  the  buildings  occupied  by  the 
missionaries  as  a  chapel  were  burned,  and  they 
were  compelled  to  remove  to  Macao,  where  they 

D 


50        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

were  advised  to  remain  until  there  was  a  cessation 
of  hostilities.  The  year  i860  was  one  of  great 
prosperity.  Thirty-seven  were  baptized  on  pro- 
fession of  faith,  and  the  membership  of  the  church 
numbered  fifty-eight.  Mr.  Gaillard  wrote  of  the 
prospects  for  the  future  :  "  They  are  as  good  as 
the  promises  of  God  are  sure,  if  we  can  only  take 
hold  of  the  promises.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  has 
been  with  us  all  the  year." 

In  July,  i860,  the  mission  was  reinforced  by 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Griffith  Schilling. 
Mr.  Schilling  was  a  German  by  birth,  but  was 
reared  and  educated  in  America.  His  home  was 
in  Maryland,  where  he  was  baptized  by  Dr.  Benja- 
min Griffith.  He  was  a  man  of  high  moral  and 
religious  character,  with  an  active  mind  and  a 
vigorous  constitution,  naturally  adapted  to  mis- 
sionary life.  The  mission  had  not  been  so  strongly 
manned  for  a  number  of  years,  but  it  was  only  for 
a  brief  period.  These  were  years  of  great  trial  in 
the  homeland ;  war  was  desolating  the  South,  and 
retrenchment  on  the  part  of  the  missionaries  was 
necessary.  They  gave  up  one-fifth  of  their  sala- 
ries, and  would  have  sacrificed  their  comfort  yet 
more  rather  than  leave  their  chosen  field.  In  this 
period  of  extreme  exigency  the  London  Missionary 
Society  made  a  generous  appropriation  of  about 
$500,  to  be  returned  or  not,  as  the  future  condi- 
tion of  the  Board  might  determine.     Doctor  Graves 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  5  I 

relinquished  one-third  of  his  allowance,  though  the 
full  sum  was  not  more  than  sufficient  to  meet  his 
actual  needs,  and  Mr.  Gaillard  wrote :  "  If  neces- 
sity should  compel  you  to  call  home  any  of  the 
missionaries  I  beg  that  I  may  be  the  last,  though 
I  may  be  the  least.  I  have  no  desire  and  no  idea 
of  ever  seeing  America  again,  and  when  I  go  to 
heaven  I  want  a  whole  army  of  this  people  to  go 
with  me."  Mr.  Gaillard  was  not  permitted  again 
to  see  America.  In  July,  1862,  a  fierce  typhoon 
swept  over  the  city,  destroying  ten  thousand  lives, 
and  he  was  crushed  to  death  beneath  the  falling 
timbers  of  his  house.  He  was  a  most  efficient 
and  successful  missionary,  and  had  won  the  esteem 
and  love  of  the  Chinese. 

Mr.  Graves  had  opened  a  new  station  at  Shiu 
Hing,  a  large  city  and  formerly  the  capital  of  two 
provinces.  Here  he  established  a  church  and 
actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  which 
he  regarded  as  a  valuable  means  of  gaining  access 
to  the  people.  When  the  church  at  Canton  was 
deprived  of  Mr.  Gaillard 's  leadership  he  was  re- 
quested to  take  charge  of  it,  at  the  same  time 
having  the  oversight  of  the  church  at  Shiu  Hing. 
The  close  of  the  year  1 864  found  Mr.  Graves  en- 
tirely alone.  In  January,  Mrs.  Schilling  passed  to 
her  reward  and  her  husband  was  forced  to  return 
to  America  with  his  children.  In  December,  Doc- 
tor Graves  lost  his  wife,  the  widow  of  Mr.  Gaillard, 


52        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

to  whom  he  had  been  married  the  year  previous. 
Aided  by  eight  native  assistants,  however,  he  con- 
tinued his  labors  with  unabated  zeal.  A  new 
station  was  opened  at  Wu  Chaw,  a  city  of  much 
importance  two  hundred  miles  from  Canton,  and 
with  an  appropriation  from  the  Medical  Missionary 
Society  he  was  enabled  to  maintain  a  dispensary 
there  and  also  at  Shiu  Hing. 

The  year  1867  afforded  an  opportunity  to  bring 
the  truths  of  Christianity  to  many  who  had  never 
heard  them.  About  twenty  thousand  students, 
with  their  friends  and  followers,  assembled  in 
Canton  for  the  triennial  examinations.  An  effort 
was  made  to  reach  these  men  by  preaching  services, 
day  and  night,  in  the  chapels  and  on  the  streets, 
by  offering  books  for  sale,  and  distributing  tracts. 
Mindful  of  the  fact  that  all  external  means  are 
vain  without  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  a  morning 
prayer  meeting  was  held  to  ask  God's  blessing  on 
these  efforts.  These  literary  men  were  the  most 
influential  class  in  the  country,  but  not  the  most 
hopeful  in  their  attitude  toward  Christianity.  Two 
interesting  conversions  were  noted  by  Doctor 
Graves  in  his  report  for  1S68.  The  father  of  one 
of  the  converts  baptized  at  Wu  Chaw  was  the  first 
instance  in  his  experience  where  a  father  was 
brought  to  Christ  through  the  influence  of  his 
son.  The  other  was  a  woman  whose  heart  was 
opened  by  answered  prayer.     She  besought  her 


THE   SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  53 

idols  in  vain  for  the  return  of  an  absent  son,  and, 
at  the  suggestion  of  a  Christian  woman,  put  away 
her  idols  and  prayed  to  the  Christian's  God.  Her 
son's  return  confirmed  her  faith,  and  a  year  later 
she  was  hopefully  converted. 

Doctor  Graves  devoted  much  time  to  teaching 
and  training  colporters  and  assistants,  believing 
that  the  future  of  the  mission  was  largely  de- 
pendent on  them.  Two  hours  a  day  were  usually 
given  to  the  Bible  class  for  preachers.  The  sacri- 
fice the  assistants  were  ready  to  make  in  order  to 
proclaim  the  truth  was  well  illustrated  by  A  Zung, 
a  young  man  who  had  served  several  years  as  a 
colporter,  but  went  home  to  engage  in  business. 
His  heart  could  not  rest  while  he  thought  of  the 
millions  of  his  countrymen  dying  without  Christ, 
and,  though  he  was  making  more  than  the  salary 
of  an  assistant,  his  interest  in  money  getting  ceased, 
and  he  left  his  business  to  give  himself  up  wholly 
to  the  service  of  Christ.  Doctor  Graves  felt  that 
one  of  the  most  pressing  needs  of  the  mission  was 
a  chapel,  and  so  effectually  did  he  urge  this  need 
that  some  friends  of  the  cause  in  Baltimore  fur- 
nished one-half  of  the  necessary  amount.  The 
Board  supplemented  this,  and  the  chapel  was  built 
and  formally  opened  on  the  fifteenth  of  May,  1869. 

After  thirteen  years  of  faithful  and  exhausting 
toil.  Doctor  Graves  sailed  for  America  in  1870, 
bringing  with  him  a  Chinaman  to  labor  among  his 


54        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

countrymen  in  California.  Doctor  Graves  also 
spent  some  time  in  this  work  at  the  invitation  of 
the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  by 
which  his  service  is  still  gratefully  remembered. 
The  year  in  which  the  native  pastor,  Wong  Mui, 
had  charge  of  the  mission,  was  not  without  fruit- 
age. Seven  were  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of 
the  two  churches,  and  their  joint  contributions 
amounted  to  eighteen  dollars. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  Z.  Simmons  arrived  in  Canton 
in  February,  1871,  and  took  vigorous  hold  of  the 
work.  Mr.  Simmons  was  a  native  of  Mississippi, 
and  had  served  for  two  years  in  the  Confederate 
army  under  General  Wheeler.  After  a  year  and 
a  half  of  lonely  missionary  life  their  hearts  were 
cheered  by  the  return  of  Doctor  Graves,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  B.  Williams  and  Miss 
Lula  Whilden.  It  was  in  answer  to  a  mother's 
prayers  that  her  children  might  spend  and  be 
spent  for  the  heathen  that  the  two  daughters  of 
Mrs.  B.  W.  Whilden,  Mrs.  N.  B.  Williams  and 
Miss  Lula  Whilden,  returned  to  China  to  take  up 
the  work  for  which  their  mother  had  toiled  and 
prayed.  Miss  Whilden  entered  into  missionary 
life  with  consuming  zeal.  She  seemed  to  have  a 
remarkable  faculty  for  finding  out  ways  of  doing 
good,  and,  in  addition  to  her  school  duties,  she 
became  deeply  interested  in  the  boat  women. 
The   Chinese  said   of   her:    "Other  missionaries 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  55 

come  among  us  from  a  sense  of  duty;  Miss  Whil- 
den  loves  the  Chinese." 

A  few  months  before  his  return  to  China,  Doc- 
tor Graves  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Wormely 
Norris,  of  Baltimore.  Mrs.  Graves  was  a  woman 
of  quiet  spirit,  intelligent  zeal,  and  earnest  piety. 
She  was  soon  able  to  communicate  with  the  women 
in  their  own  language,  and  won  universal  love  and 
esteem.  With  Miss  Whilden  she  superintended 
the  education  of  girls,  for  which  some  years  of 
teaching  in  Baltimore  had  well  prepared  her.  The 
boys'  school  was  put  in  Mr.  Williams'  charge,  his 
firmness,  sound  judgment,  and  enthusiasm  ad- 
mirably fitting  him  for  this  position.  He  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  care  exercised  by  the 
Chinese  churches  in  the  reception  of  members, 
and  thought  that  in  vital  godliness  the  Canton 
church  would  compare  favorably  with  most  of  the 
churches  at  home. 

An  outstation  was  opened  in  1873  at  Sai  Nain, 
an  important  business  center  near  the  junction  of 
the  North  and  West  rivers.  Doctor  Graves,  as 
well  as  other  missionaries,  had  tried  for  years  to 
gain  a  foothold  there;  but,  while  baffled  in  his 
attempts  to  rent  a  chapel,  he  was  able  to  secure  a 
place  for  a  dispensary,  and,  with  an  appropriation 
from  the  Medical  Missionary  Society,  to  pay  the 
rent  without  expense  to  the  Board.  The  atten- 
tion of  the  missionaries  was  called  to  the  Hakkas, 


56        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

a  simple  but  sturdy  mountain  people,  who,  by 
making  iDredatory  incursions  into  the  plain,  had 
taken  possession  of  a  large  part  of  two  districts 
near  Shiu  Hing.  One  of  the  native  assistants 
went  among  them  and  they  heard  the  gospel  with 
gladness.  After  Mr.  Simmons  finished  preaching, 
one  day,  a  Hakka,  who  had  listened  very  eagerly, 
stopped  to  talk  with  him.  He  had  read  a  tract 
prepared  by  Doctor  Graves  and  had  journeyed 
thirteen  days  to  learn  more  of  the  truth.  He 
asked  Doctor  Graves  if  he  had  been  to  heaven, 
and,  if  not,  how  could  he  know  all  these  things  so 
well. 

In  the  spring  of  1874  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simmons 
returned  to  America  on  account  of  the  latter's 
impaired  health.  Still  deeply  interested  in  the 
Chinese,  they  were  engaged  for  some  time  by  the 
Home  Mission  Society  in  California.  The  mission 
sustained  another  severe  loss  in  the  death  of  Wong 
Mui,  the  pastor  of  the  Canton  church,  a  vigorous 
and  aggressive  Christian,  who  has  been  called  the 
Luther  of  the  Chinese  Christians.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Williams  having  returned  in  1876,  Doctor  Graves 
was  again  the  only  foreign  preacher  in  the  mission. 
His  life  was  a  busy  one.  He  was  engaged  in  giv- 
ing Bible  instruction,  preparing  his  "  Notes  on  the 
Parables"  and  a  "  Life  of  Christ,"  meeting  the  de- 
mands of  his  medical  work,  and  exercising  a  gen- 
eral oversight  of  the  mission.     The  outlook  was 


THE   SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  57 

promising,  six  new  stations  having  been  opened  for 
the  residence  of  foreigners. 

The  Chinese  Christians  maintained  a  station  of 
their  own  at  San  Kiu,  a  town  about  fifteen  miles 
south  of  Shiu  Hing.  A  Chinese  missionary  so- 
ciety rented  the  house  and  supported  the  assistant. 
Their  gifts  amounted  to  $i6o  during  the  year, 
most  of  which  came  from  Demarara  and  Oregon. 
Lough  Fook,  a  member  of  the  Canton  church, 
went  to  British  Guiana  as  a  coolie,  that  he  might 
preach  Jesus  to  his  countrymen  there.  When  he 
died  in  1884,  he  left  a  church  of  two  hundred 
members,  contributing  $2,000  annually  to  missions. 
Doctor  Graves  described  Lough  Fook  as  one  of 
the  heroes  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  said  he  was 
a  proof  of  what  the  grace  of  God  could  do  for  a 
Chinaman  and  what  a  Chinaman  could  do  when 
renewed  by  grace.  In  Oregon,  Dong  Gong,  a  for- 
mer student  under  Doctor  Graves,  had  gathered  a 
little  flock  of  twelve  or  fifteen  persons.  The  mem- 
bership of  the  Canton  church  in  1878  numbered 
one  hundred  and  ninety-one  and  there  were  sixty- 
six  baptisms  during  the  year,  thirty-seven  of  these 
being  in  connection  with  the  Tie  Chiu  church,  in 
Hong  Kong. 

The  year  1880  witnessed  bitter  persecution  at 
Tsing  Nue,  a  station  supported  by  Doctor  Graves. 
While  the  members  of  the  mission  were  gathered 
for  worship  the  chapel  was  assaulted  by  a  mob  and 


58        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.     CONVENTION 

greatly  damaged.  The  members  were  stoned  and 
injured  in  many  ways,  and  the  assistants  had  to 
leave  the  city  by  night  under  a  guard  of  soldiers. 
The  doorway  of  the  chapel  was  blocked  up  and  the 
Christians  were  denied  entrance.  After  several 
months  had  elapsed  Mr.  Simmons,  who  had  re- 
turned to  China,  sent  an  assistant  to  try  and  get 
the  chapel  back.  He  gathered  a  few  of  the  mem- 
bers, pushed  the  bricks  from  the  doorway,  cleared 
away  the  rubbish,  and  held  a  three  days'  prayer 
meeting,  asking  God  to  help  them  hold  the  house 
for  his  glory.  He  sent  to  the  magistrate  and  re- 
quested him  to  issue  an  order  to  the  people  not  to 
molest  the  Christians  in  their  place  of  worship. 
The  officer  immediately  complied  with  the  request 
and  their  prayers  were  answered.  Persecution 
tended  to  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel  and  ten 
were  baptized  during  the  year. 

At  Tsung  Fa,  where  there  had  been  persecution 
and  serious  trouble,  a  chapel  was  completed  which 
was  built  by  the  members  of  the  church  aided  by 
those  of  the  Canton  church.  This  was  the  first 
chapel  built  by  native  members.  In  Februar}^, 
1880,  the  work  at  Hong  Kong,  or  on  an  island 
near  by,  at  Tie  Chiu,  that  had  been  carried  on 
by  Mrs.  L.  W.  Johnson  and  maintained  at  her  own 
charges,  was  turned  over  to  the  Canton  mission. 
A  new  chapel  had  been  erected  the  year  previous 
and  the  church  numbered  about  one  hundred  mem- 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  59 

bers,  most  of  whom  had  been  baptized  by  Doctor 
Graves  and  Mr.  Simmons.  December  26,  1882, 
Yong  Seen  Sang  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  He  had 
been  connected  with  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
since  1845  ^^'^^^  ^'^^^  been  supported  by  the  Ladies 
Missionary  Society  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Richmond.  Faithful  to  the  end,  he  came  to  his 
•'  grave  in  a  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh 
in  in  his  season." 

The  year  of  1885  was  one  of  severe  trial  in  the 
Canton  mission.  The  Chinese-French  War  was 
in  progress  and  outbreaks  against  Christians  were 
frequent,  though  not  due  entirely  to  the  war.  Sev- 
eral of  the  native  Christians  were  imprisoned  and 
suffered  great  indignities.  One  of  the  girls'  schools 
was  attacked  and  broken  up,  the  homes  of  two  of 
the  members  were  plundered,  and  the  benches  of  the 
chapel  broken.  Notwithstanding  the  trying  times 
through  which  the  mission  passed,  there  was  some 
encouragement,  and  in  the  midst  of  hatred,  perse- 
cution, and  loss,  not  one  member  was  led  to  deny 
the  faith.  In  February,  1885,  a  Chinese  Asso- 
ciation was  organized,  composed  of  twenty-five 
representatives  from  six  bodies.  Mr.  Simmons 
was  elected  moderator,  the  other  officers  being 
Chinese.  Doctor  Graves  said  of  this  Association 
that  the  members,  by  their  punctuality  and  atten- 
tion to  the  speakers,  set  an  example  that  might 
well  be  followed  by  many  of  the  Associations  at 


6o        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

home.  The  year  was  also  marked  by  terrible 
floods,  but  this  calamity  worked  a  beneficial  result 
to  the  mission,  for  the  relief  afforded  the  stricken 
districts  by  the  missionaries  made  the  people  will, 
ing  to  hear  and  accept  the  gospel  and  opened  wider 
the  door  of  usefulness.  There  were  in  1886  four 
schools  for  boys  and  eleven  for  girls  under  the  care 
of  the  mission.  These  schools  afforded  fine  oppor- 
tunities for  reaching  the  mothers  and  other  women 
in  their  neighborhood,  who  at  weekly  examinations 
came  in  for  the  Scripture  lesson  and  prayers. 
Miss  Young,  who  had  been  welcomed  to  the  mis- 
sion in  1884,  and  some  of  the  Bible  women,  con- 
ducted a  weekly  meeting  for  heathen  women  and 
in  this  way  many  heard  the  gospel. 

The  year  1888  was  one  of  almost  equal  joy  and 
sorrow.  Mrs.  J.  L.  Sanford  and  Miss  Henrietta 
North  landed  in  Canton  in  January  and  Miss  Nellie 
Hartwell  in  May.  They  had  been  engaged  in 
work  among  the  Cantonese  on  the  Pacific  coast 
and  were  therefore  able  at  once  to  be  efficient  in 
China.  Miss  North  went  out  as  a  self-supporting 
missionary,  but  identified  herself  with  the  Canton 
mission.  Mrs.  Sanford  had  demonstrated  her  fit- 
ness for  missionary  life  by  nearly  six  years  of 
efficient  service.  Her  interest  in  missions  was 
quickened  by  reading  memoirs  of  the  Judsons,  but 
her  ideal  of  the  Christian  missionary  became  so 
high  that  it  did  not  occur  to  her  that  one  so  un- 


THE   SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  6l 

worthy  and  incapable  as  she  considered  herself  to 
be  could  be  called  of  God  for  such  responsible 
work.  Believing  this,  she  fought  against  the  con- 
viction, while  feeling  that  such  a  life  would  be  an 
unceasing  joy.  When  the  realization  came  to  her 
that  God  would  fit  her  for  whatever  service  he  re- 
quired of  her,  she  gladly  surrendered  to  his  will. 

Miss  Hartvvell  was  born  in  China  during  her 
father's  first  residence  in  that  country  and  she  had 
been  reared  in  an  atmosphere  of  missions.  She 
had  assisted  her  father  for  several  years  in  the 
Chinese  mission  in  San  Francisco  and  had  proved 
a  zealous  and  successful  worker. 

The  mission  at  Canton  was  sorely  bereaved  by 
the  enforced  return  of  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Graves  in 
November,  1887,  and  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Graves 
in  San  Francisco,  April  20,  1888.  Through  a 
wearing  illness  of  many  months  she  was  patient, 
sweet-tempered,  and  submissive.  Even  the  dis- 
appointment of  being  unable  to  reach  her  old  home 
in  Baltimore  brought  no  murmur.  She  said,  "  I 
am  going  to  the  best  home."  For  si.xteen  years 
she  had  devoted  herself  to  the  Chinese,  leaving 
behind  her  a  work  that  has  endured,  and  the  record 
of  a  life  of  self-abnegation  and  godly  consecration. 
In  1889  the  mission  was  made  glad  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  McCloy,  of  Scotland, 
and  Miss  Mollie  McMinn,  of  Missouri.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McCloy  were  reared  in  Presbyterian  homes 


62        MISSIONARY   WORK   OF   S.    B.    CONVENTION 

but  united  with  the  Baptist  church  in  Glasgow, 
Mr.  McCloy  went  out  in  the  employ  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  He  made  a  number 
of  long  and  arduous  journeys  into  the  Kwangtung 
and  Kwang  Si  provinces,  often  traveling  where 
Europeans  had  not  been.  After  several  years  of 
service  he  felt  that  he  could  be  more  useful  as  a 
teacher  and  preacher,  and  accordingly  made  appli- 
cation to  the  Foreign  Mission  Board.  He  was 
ordained  in  the  Canton  Baptist  Church,  December 
29,  1889. 

Miss  McMinn  also  came  from  a  Pedobaptist 
family,  but  after  reading  what  she  calls  "that  Baptist 
Bible,"  she  decided  to  cast  in  her  lot  with  Baptists. 
Her  early  life  was  full  of  difficulties  and  trials  that 
fostered  independence  and  self-reliance.  She  gave 
as  her  reason  for  becoming  a  missionary,  "  The  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  me."  In  addition  to  the 
foreign  force,  which  had  never  been  so  large,  there 
were  seventeen  native  preachers,  four  colporters, 
and  seven  Bible  women  in  the  Canton  mission. 
Two  hundred  and  ninety  pupils  were  enrolled  in 
the  schools  and  work  among  the  women  was  never 
more  encouraging.  Effort  put  forth  for  the  Chinese 
in  the  United  States  began  to  make  itself  felt  in 
China.  Chinese  Christians  returning  from  America 
became  an  important  factor  in  the  working  force  at 
Canton,  introducing  an  element  of  intelligence, 
piety,  and  energy  into  the  churches. 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  6^) 

October  14,  1890,  Doctor  Graves  and  Mrs.  San- 
ford  were  united  in  marriage.  This  year  the  mis- 
sion enjoyed  a  visit  from  Dr.  H.  C.  Mabie,  secre- 
tary of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union, 
who  was  most  favorably  impressed  with  its  conduct. 
Doctor  Graves'  method  of  training  converts  and 
gathering  from  among  them  the  more  promising 
as  evangelists  and  pastors  he  considered  admirable. 
He  was  also  impressed  with  the  tactful  handling  of 
the  work  among  the  women  and  with  the  fact  that 
the  large  native  church  sustained  two  pastors. 
"Indeed,"  he  said,  "self-support  is  insisted  on  in 
this  thoroughly  effective  mission." 

An  advance  in  school  enterprises  was  noted 
during  the  year  1891.  The  native  Christians  raised 
JS950  and  opened  a  school  of  their  own  with  forty 
pupils.  Doctor  Graves'  quarterly  class  for  training 
preachers  became  so  large  that  he  was  forced  to 
limit  the  number.^  The  arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
G.  W.  Greene  and  Miss  C.  J.  White  in  the  autumn 
of  1 891  was  a  welcome  event.  Mr.  Greene  at  the 
time  of  his  appointment  was  a  professor  of  Latin 
in  Wake  Forest  College.  His  experience  as  a 
teacher  fitted  him  to  assist  Doctor  Graves  in  train- 
ing Chinese  converts  and  such  a  co-worker  was 

^  He  refers  to  the  years  1890-1891  as  not  marked  by  unusual  suc- 
cess, though  he  reported  78  baptisms,  426  pupils  in  7  schools,  13 
stations  and  outstations,  22  native  workers,  560  church-members, 
and  contributions  amounting  to  5640. 


64        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

much  needed.  Miss  White  was  well  equipped  for 
missionary  work,  having  been  trained  for  it  and 
having  had  some  practical  experience. 

Chief  among  the  causes  for  thanksgiving  in  1892 
was  the  arrival  of  Miss  Anna  Hartvvell  in  Decem- 
ber. She  was  born  in  Tungchovv  and  spent  sev- 
eral years  of  her  childhood  in  Canton  under  Doctor 
Graves'  care.  Her  later  life  was  passed  in  San 
Francisco  where,  while  still  a  schoolgirl,  she  de- 
voted her  evenings  to  teaching  in  the  Chinese 
Baptist  mission.  At  this  time  the  call  came  to 
her  to  give  her  life  to  the  Chinese  in  their  own 
land,  and  in  preparation  she  spent  two  years  in 
the  Missionary  Training  School  in  Chicago.  She 
took  highest  rank  and  gave  evidence  of  unusual 
capability  for  missionary  service.  Fitted  by  nature, 
training,  and  experience,  she  was  soon  able  to  be- 
gin work  and  more  than  realized  the  hopes  centered 
upon  her. 

Another  cause  for  rejoicing  was  the  completion  of 
the  chapel  in  the  Kwang  Sai  province.  The  church- 
members,  who  numbered  only  twenty-four,  gave 
the  lot  and  part  of  the  money  to  build  it.  This 
was  the  first  chapel  in  a  province  whose  population 
was  estimated  at  eight  milhon.  The  people  were 
strongly  anti-foreign  and  the  first  Christians  had  to 
stand  persecution  ;  but  their  patient  endurance  and 
consistent  example  led  others  to  inquire  into  the 
new  doctrine  and  find  out  its  truth.     The  Chinese 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  65 

Christians  contributed  $200  to  the  Centennial 
Fund  and  of  this  about  fourteen  dollars  was  given 
by  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society. 

The  rivers  of  China  have  proved  highways  for 
the  gospel.  Mr.  Greene,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Simmons  and  a  young  Chinese  physician  trained 
in  the  Canton  hospital,  made  a  trip  up  the  North 
River,  an  account  of  which  illustrates  some  of  the 
methods  employed  in  reaching  the  people.  When- 
ever the  boat  made  a  brief  stop  the  physician  hung 
out  his  sign  and  soon  had  a  number  of  patients. 
In  places  where  there  was  a  chapel  he  carried  his 
medicines  to  it  and  there  ministered  to  the  suffer- 
ing. When  not  occupied  with  patients  he  was 
quite  ready  to  preach  the  gospel  and  his  assistant 
stood  by  the  door  and  sold  tracts  and  copies  of  the 
Scriptures.  Even  the  cook  often  went  ashore  to 
sell  books,  occasionally  preached,  and  often  talked 
with  the  people.  The  year  1893  was  one  of  great 
sickness  in  and  around  Canton  and  three  of  the 
native  helpers  passed  to  their  reward.  One  of 
these  was  converted  at  Demarara  under  the  preach- 
ing of  Lough  Fook.  Before  he  became  a  Christian 
he  had  made  about  ^2,000,  nearly  all  of  which  he 
expended  in  preaching  the  gospel  without  salary. 
Notwithstanding  the  hindrances  caused  by  sickness 
the  year  was  a  fruitful  one.  Three  new  stations 
were  opened  and  the  baptisms  were  nearly  double 
those  of  the  year  previous.     Among  the  converts 


66        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

was  a  Buddhist  priest,  who  gave  up  money-making 
and  an  easy  hfe  for  poverty,  hardship,  and  the 
service  of  Christ.  Ten  men  were  baptized  at  Ping 
Lok,  or  "peace  come  down,"  who  were  the  fruit 
of  the  faithful  teaching  of  a  Christian  man  from 
the  Swatow  Baptist  mission.  He  removed  to  Ping 
Lok  to  live,  and  when  a  colporter  visited  the  village 
he  found  a  little  group  of  interested  people  whom 
this  man  by  teaching  and  example  had  gathered. 
About  one  and  a  half  million  pages  of  tracts  and 
Scriptures  were  distributed  and  these  often  proved 
the  entering  wedge. 

Mrs.  Graves'  health  having  become  impaired  by 
an  attack  of  fever  she  left  Canton  with  her  husband 
early  in  1894.  Their  departure  was  most  timely; 
the  bubonic  plague  was  breaking  out  with  all  its 
horrors,  and  neither  of  them  was  in  a  condition  to 
endure  the  anxiety  or  the  death-laden  atmosphere. 
Several  of  the  church-members  fell  victims  to  the 
plague,  among  them  one  of  the  most  efficient  Bible 
women  and  one  of  the  best  school  teachers.  The 
year  was  one  of  unusually  good  opportunities  for 
work  among  the  women  in  their  homes,  both  in 
the  city  and  in  the  country.  The  black  death 
hovering  over  the  land  made  them  realize  the  un- 
certainty of  life  and  the  dark  and  hopeless  eternity 
beyond.  Many  a  heathen  woman  listened  with  an 
earnestness  rarely  seen  before. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  plague  season  the 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  67 

missionaries  were  welcomed  as  messengers  of  hope 
and  comfort,  but  the  methods  of  treatment  by  for- 
eign doctors  in  Hong  Kong  and  their  efforts  to 
stop  the  plague  led  to  the  posting  and  circulating 
of  inflammatory  placards  and  reports  accusing  the 
physicians  of  barbarous  treatment  and  the  mission- 
aries and  native  Christians  of  endeavoring  to 
spread  the  plague  while  ostensibly  trying  to  cure 
it.  There  was  much  excitement.  Some  rioting 
occurred,  many  native  Christians  were  cruelly  per- 
secuted, and  all  except  one  of  the  chapels  in  Can- 
ton were  closed,  while  most  of  the  schools  were 
suspended  and  some  were  broken  up.  The  pecu- 
liar trials  of  this  year  brought  to  the  missionaries 
a  deeper  experience  of  God  as  a  very  present  help 
in  time  of  trouble.  In  the  midst  of  anxieties,  sad- 
ness, and  death  they  praised  him  for  care  and  guid- 
ance and  real  progress  in  the  work. 

The  year  1895  ^^s  one  of  excitement  and  oppo- 
sition to  foreigners  all  over  the  empire.  In  the 
earlier  months  of  the  year  the  war  with  Japan  was 
exciting  the  minds  of  the  people ;  later  the  Kue- 
heng  massacre  was  as  fuel  to  the  flame,  and  in  the 
early  autumn  an  attempted  uprising  in  Canton  was 
a  new  cause  for  anxiety.  The  native  helpers  were 
demoralized  and  the  minds  of  the  people  were  too 
full  of  war  to  listen  to  the  message  from  the  Prince 
of  Peace.  Numbers  of  people  visited  the  chapels, 
but  they  were  restless  and  suspicious.    The  women 


68        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

in  the  city  and  in  the  country,  however,  listened 
eagerly  to  the  gospel.  Miss  McMinn  met  with 
great  encouragement  in  her  country  trips,  and  at 
Kwai  Ping  city,  in  Kwong  Sai  province,  from  which 
several  Presbyterian  missionaries  had  been  expelled 
a  few  years  before  and  their  houses  burned,  num- 
bers of  women,  sometimes  forty  a  day,  came  to  the 
boat  in  which  she  traveled  and  listened  attentively. 
Everywhere  the  Bible  women  found  open  doors 
and  waiting  hearts. 

School  work  was  also  encouraging.  In  the 
spring  a  Saturday  night  prayer  meeting  was  begun 
in  the  boarding  school,  its  object  being  prayer  for 
the  conversion  of  relatives  and  friends.  Eleven 
girls  and  nine  women  were  converted.  This  board- 
ing school  was  founded  by  Miss  Emma  Young,  on 
whose  heart  it  was  laid  to  establish  a  school  where 
Baptist  women  and  girls  could  receive  a  Christian 
education  under  favorable  circumstances.  With 
the  sanction  of  the  Board  she  made  an  appeal  to 
the  women  of  Missouri,  her  native  State,  and  with 
characteristic  energy  they  undertook  the  work. 
The  building  was  completed  in  February,  1888, 
and  the  school  opened  in  March.  According  to 
the  plan  of  its  founder  both  women  and  girls  were 
received,  though  it  was  called  a  girls'  boarding 
school.  Admission  to  the  school  in  the  earlier 
days  was  not  limited  to  children  from  Christian 
families,  but  those  were  received  who  were  willing 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  69 

to  study  the  Bible  and  submit  to  the  regulations  of 
a  Christian  school.  In  1899  ^^^  school  had  out- 
grown its  building  and  the  women  were  removed 
to  another  building  and  organized  separately. 
Both  buildings  were  soon  filled  and  sometimes 
overcrowded.  Girls  are  admitted  to  the  board- 
ing school  after  the  age  of  ten  years;  the  ages 
of  the  women  vary  from  their  teens  to  sixty  years 
or  more.  Some  of  these  old  women  brighten  up 
wonderfully  as  the  Spirit  of  God  takes  hold  of 
them,  and  witness  for  Christ  with  great  sweetness 
when  they  return  to  their  distant  country  homes. 
These  women  are  usually  the  mothers  of  men  con- 
verted in  the  United  States.  In  the  autumn  of 
1895,  a  two-weeks'  class  for  women  was  held  in  the 
girl's  boarding-school  building  and  lessons  were 
given  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament.  This  class 
was  designed  to  give  Christian  women,  especially 
those  in  the  country  villages  whose  home  cares 
prevented  their  coming  to  the  boarding  school  for 
any  length  of  time,  an  opportunity  to  learn  more 
of  gospel  truth.  The  interest  and  spiritual  help 
of  these  classes  were  frequently  borne  witness  to. 
There  was  cause  for  great  rejoicing  in  the  mis- 
sion when  peace  was  declared  between  China  and 
Japan,  and  five  new  ports  were  opened  to  trade 
and  foreign  residence.  One  of  these  ports,  Shiu 
Hing,  was  already  occupied  by  Miss  North  and 
Miss  McMinn,  and  the  missionaries  had  been  pray- 


70        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

ing  for  years  that  another,  Wu  Chaw,  might  be 
opened  to  them.  Both  of  these  cities  were  im- 
portant points  on  West  River.  Late  in  the  year 
1895,  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Graves  returned  to  Canton, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  E.  Chambers. 
Mr.  Chambers  had  been  under  appointment  for 
some  time,  and  had  learned  something  of  the  home 
side  of  foreign  missions  while  assisting  the  corre- 
sponding secretary  in  the  office  in  Richmond.  In 
February,  1896,  the  mission  welcomed  Miss  E.  B, 
Sale,  of  Virginia.  She  made  rapid  progress  with 
the  language,  and  was  soon  able  to  begin  work  in 
the  Kwong  Sai  province,  where  Miss  McMinn  had 
long  desired  a  co-worker. 

The  field  occupied  by  the  South  China  Mission 
at  this  time  embraced  a  territory  extending  from 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  southeast  of  Canton 
to  two  hundred  miles  northeast ;  from  ninety  miles 
southeast  to  three  hundred  miles  northwest,  and 
over  three  hundred  miles  west.  From  twelve  to 
fifteen  days  were  required  to  make  the  journey  to 
the  more  distant  stations.  Most  of  the  emigrants 
to  America  were  from  the  country  southwest  of 
Canton,  and  it  was  to  carry  the  gospel  to  their 
friends  and  to  look  after  converts  returning  that 
this  district  was  entered.  The  first  country  work 
was  done  in  the  West  River  Valley,  and  the  sta- 
tions there  are  its  natural  expansion. 

A  strenuous  effort  toward  self-help   and  inde- 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  7 1 

pendent  work  was  shown  in  the  report  of  the  mis- 
'sion  for  1896.  The  Canton  church  provided  for 
the  entire  support  of  its  pastor.  The  other  native 
pastors  were  only  partly  paid  by  the  mission,  and  of 
twenty-two  unordained  preachers  only  twelve  were 
supported  by  funds  from  the  Board.  The  rest  were 
maintained  by  friends  in  the  United  States  or  by 
the  Chinese  independently  of  the  mission.  Four 
day  schools  were  carried  on  without  expense  to 
the  mission.  The  mission  boat,  "Bearer  of  Bless- 
ings," owned  by  one  of  the  missionaries,  proved  of 
much  value  in  itinerating,  as  it  was  more  comfort- 
able than  the  native  boats  and  a  longer  time  could 
be  spent  on  it  without  detriment  to  health.  A  lot 
on  one  of  the  principal  streets  in  Wu  Chaw  was 
purchased,  a  chapel  and  small  dwelling  were  built, 
and,  with  the  desire  to  push  on  into  the  interior, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers  took  up  their  residence 
there.  The  chapel  was  opened  for  preaching,  a 
book  room  and  a  small  free  library  were  connected 
with  it,  and  many  tracts  and  books  were  circu- 
lated. Unusual  interest  attached  to  the  Kwong 
Sai  work  owing  to  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  open- 
ing up  of  the  West  River  to  foreign  steamers, 
with  Wu  Chaw  as  the  principal  port.  The  change 
in  officials  and  literati  from  open  opposition  to 
friendly  cordiality  toward  the  foreigner  and  his 
religion  was  very  manifest. 

In  her  country  trips,  during  1896,  Miss  White 


72        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

visited  thirty-five  villages  within  two  hundred  miles 
of  Canton,  where  there  was  neither  foreign  mis-* 
sionary  nor  Bible  woman.  The  work  done  in  the 
districts  visited  was  supported  by  Chinese  in 
America  and  other  friends.  Many  of  the  Chi- 
nese converted  in  foreign  lands  live  in  this  section, 
so  in  many  houses  the  idols  had  been  cast  down. 
With  few  exceptions  the  villages  she  visited  were 
on  the  waterways,  and  there  were  hundreds  inland 
to  which  the  gospel  message  had  never  come  In 
one  plain  Miss  White  counted  thirty-one  villages 
that  had  never  been  visited  by  a  missionary.  The 
Leung  Kwong  Baptist  Association  met  at  Shiu 
Hing  in  February,  1896.  Forty-five  delegates  were 
present,  and  seven  out  of  eight  churches  were  rep- 
resented. Eighty-three  baptisms  were  reported. 
It  was  a  meeting  in  which  the  presence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  was  manifest.  The  practical  outcome 
was  the  opening  of  a  new  mission  station,  the  de- 
termination to  appoint  an  associational  missionary, 
and  the  raising  of  a  generous  sum  toward  his 
support. 

The  year  1897  marked  an  advance  all  along  the 
line.  More  baptisms  were  reported  than  during 
any  previous  year,  and  for  the  first  time  the  mem- 
bership of  the  churches  numbered  more  than  a 
thousand.  School  and  medical  work,  house  to 
house  visiting,  and  itinerating,  all  were  encourag- 
ing, and  open  doors  on  every  hand  invited  to  yet 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  73 

greater  effort.  The  influence  of  Chinese  schools 
in  America  was  increasingly  felt.  Two  brethren 
from  America,  aided  by  friends,  built  a  neat  little 
chapel  in  a  village  near  Canton,  where  the  people 
were  friendly  and  there  was  a  bright  prospect  for 
fruitful  work.  One  village  school  was  opened  at 
the  request  of  Christian  Chinese  in  British  Co- 
lumbia who  wished  their  wives  to  study  the  Bible, 
and  another  was  cared  for  by  a  young  lady  in  Illi- 
nois who  became  interested  in  the  Sun  Ning  dis- 
trict through  the  Chinese  work  in  America.  There 
was  an  increasing  readiness  on  the  part  of  the  peo- 
ple to  buy  and  read  Christian  literature,  and  the 
village  work  was  very  encouraging.  Miss  McMinn 
made  a  beginning  among  the  Mandarin-speaking 
women  of  the  Kwong  Sai  province,  and  spent 
three  weeks  in  a  district  hitherto  visited  by  no 
foreigner  except  French  Roman  Catholic  priests. 
She  found  the  field  a  most  promising  one.  Five 
years  before  the  first  believer  was  baptized  and  be- 
came an  evangelist.  At  the  time  of  her  visit  the 
one  had  increased  to  almost  thirty.  Near  the 
close  of  the  year  Dr.  McCloy  returned  with  his 
family  to  Canton.  He  had  taken  a  course  in 
medicine  while  in  America  and  prepared  himself 
for  greater  usefulness. 

The  political  agitations  in  China  during  the  year 
1898  had  at  least  one  beneficial  result,  in  that  it 
partially  awakened  the  Chinese  and  led  many  to 


74        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

examine  into  the  merits  of  Christianity.  The 
preaching  halls  had  never  been  so  crowded  nor 
had  there  ever  been  so  many  seeking  acquaintance 
with  and  instruction  from  the  missionaries.  The 
baptisms  were  about  double  those  of  the  year  pre- 
vious. Large  numbers  of  books  and  copies  of  the 
Scriptures  were  sold  and  eagerly  read  by  a  better 
class  of  people.  The  spirit  of  inquiry  was  abroad 
in  the  land.  During  half  the  year  most  of  the 
province  of  Kwong  Sai  was  in  rebellion  and  the 
rebel  chief  made  dire  threats  against  the  Chris- 
tians. The  rebels  took  possession  of  several  mar- 
ket towns  and  decided  to  take  one  more  and  then 
go  to  a  village  where  a  number  of  Christians  were 
gathered  and  exterminate  them,  men,  women,  and 
children.  Though  by  their  own  folly  they  failed 
to  wholly  carry  out  this  purpose,  the  Christians 
were  driven  from  their  homes  and  into  hiding, 
where  they  suffered  great  hardships.  This  was 
but  a  sample  of  what  occurred  in  the  case  of  many 
another  village  during  the  Boxer  uprising,  while  in 
others  still  that  happened  which  sent  a  thrill  of 
horror  through  the  civilized  world. 

According  to  Doctor  Graves  the  most  impor- 
tant event  in  the  history  of  the  Canton  mission 
during  the  year  1898  was  the  choice  and  ordina- 
tion of  Chow  Leung  as  pastor  of  the  Canton 
church.  Doctor  Graves  describes  him  as  a  godly 
man,  of  a  sweet.  Christian  temper,  quiet  demeanor, 


THE    SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  75 

and  earnest  piety.  All  the  brethren  had  full  con- 
fidence in  him  as  a  man  and  as  a  pastor.  Seventy- 
four  were  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Can- 
ton church,  most  of  whom  lived  at  country  sta- 
tions where  no  church  had  yet  been  organized. 

The  organization  of  the  Chinese  Baptist  Publi- 
cation Society  marked  the  opening  months  of 
1899.  P'or  several  years  members  of  the  Canton 
mission  had  given  much  thought  to  this  enter- 
prise, and  in  1897  circulars  were  sent  to  Baptist 
missionaries  throughout  China  suggesting  co-opera- 
tion in  a  publication  work.  The  suggestion  met 
with  general  approval,  and  an  invitation  was  issued 
asking  Baptist  missions  to  send  representatives  to 
a  meeting  to  be  held  in  Canton  in  February.  The 
society  was  organized  February  27-28,  with  a 
Board  of  Directors  composed  of  missionaries  from 
the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  and  from  the 
American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  and  four  capa- 
ble Chinese  brethren.  Doctor  Graves  was  elected 
president  and  Mr.  Chambers  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. Contributions  from  China  alone  soon 
amounted  to  more  than  $4,000.  The  enterprise 
meets  a  long-felt  need,  and  promises  to  be  in- 
creasingly useful  to  Baptist  missions  in  all  parts 
of  China. 

The  year  1899  witnessed  the  largest  number  of 
baptisms  in  the  history  of  the  mission,  five  hun- 
dred   and    thirty-three.      While    the    missionaries 


76        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

rejoiced  over  this  ingathering  they  also  trembled  at 
the  responsibility  placed  upon  them  to  teach  these 
scattered  converts  all  things  the  Master  had  com- 
manded. Miss  Annie  J.  Kennon  and  Mr.  S.  T. 
Williams  were  welcomed  by  the  mission  early  in 

1900.  Mr.  Williams  was  destined  for  the  Hakka 
work,  which  had  been  steadily  increasing  in  inter- 
est and  promise.  In  1899  there  were  between 
four  and  five  hundred  converts  speaking  the  Hakka 
dialect,  and  there  were  two  organized  churches  in 
the  district.  There  was  great  need  of  some  one 
to  train  these  converts  in  Christian  giving  and  the 
other  Christian  graces  that  would  make  them  self- 
supporting,  self-cultivating  churches.  It  is  a  field 
requiring  great  self-denial  and  consecration.  The 
Boxer  uprising  in  the  summer  of  1900  prevented 
Mr.  Williams  from  proceeding  at  once  to  his  field. 
He  was    detained  in   Canton   until  the  spring  of 

1 90 1,  when  he  spent  several  months  in  the  Hakka 
district,  traveling  over  six  hundred  miles.  He 
found  many  inquiring  the  way,  and  baptized  sev- 
enty-two converts,  making  nearly  a  hundred  addi- 
tions to  the  churches  in  the  Hakka  district  during 
the  early  months  of  1901.  As  the  stations  in  this 
district  were  remote  from  the  great  centers  and 
trade  routes,  the  people  were  less  influenced  by 
the  anti-foreign  feeling  during  the  troubles  of  1900 
than  in  other  places.  Regular  Sunday  services 
were  held  in  all  the  three  churches  throughout  the 


THE   SOUTH    CHINA    MISSION  7/ 

year,  and  some  work  was  done  among  the  inter- 
ested heathen.  Mr.  Williams  was  but  reaping  the 
fruit  of  these  efforts. 

The  closing  year  of  the  century  was  one  of 
great  peril  and  trial  all  over  China.  In  the  South 
China  Mission  the  loss  and  danger  were  not  so 
great  as  in  other  missions,  but  work  was  practi- 
cally suspended  for  several  months.  The  native 
Christians  were  severely  tried  by  personal  fear 
and  loss  of  property,  but  very  few  abandoned  their 
profession.  Only  one  native  Christian  was  called 
upon  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his  faith.  This  man 
had  been  in  the  persecutions  during  the  rebellion 
in  the  Kwong  Sai  province  and  had  lost  his  all. 
He  then  became  a  traveling  doctor,  and  was  on 
his  way  to  a  mountain  village  to  see  a  sick  man 
when  he  was  met  by  some  soldiers  who  questioned 
him,  and,  finding  that  he  was  a  "Jesus  fellow," 
they  bound  him  to  a  tree  and  shot  him  dead.  A 
man  gathering  wood  near-by  brought  to  his  breth- 
ren the  tidings  of  his  faithful  death.  Several 
chapels  were  destroyed,  some  looted,  and  some 
attacked  and  damaged.  The  Chinese  government 
made  prompt  reparation  for  these  losses. 

The  new  century  opened  with  brighter  pros- 
pects. The  missionaries  gradually  returned  to 
their  fields  and  the  Board  sought  to  reinforce  the 
mission  as  rapidly  as  the  gifts  of  Southern  Bap- 
tists permitted.     It  is  not  the  time  at  this  writing 


78        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

to  forecast  the  future  of  China  nor  the  final  result 
of  the  troubles  arising  from  the  Boxer  outbreak. 
But  the  missionaries  are  cheerful  and  hopeful,  re- 
membering that  he  who  said,  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,"  said  also,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  age." 


V 

CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION 

THE  Foreign  Mission  Board  having  decided  to 
enter  China,  determined  to  extend  the  work 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  as  soon  as  the  mission 
at  Canton  was  established  to  open  one  at  Shanghai. 
On  the  eighteenth  of  December,  1846,  Mr,  and 
Mrs.  Matthew  T.  Yates,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  W.  To- 
bey,  and  Dr.  J.  Sexton  James,  were  designated  for 
missionary  work  in  the  First  Baptist  Church,  of 
Richmond,  Va.  Mr.  J.  L.  Shuck,  who  ten  years 
before  had  been  set  apart  in  the  same  church,  was 
present  with  the  native  preacher,  Yong  Seen  Sang. 
These  brethren  had  been  transferred  from  the 
Canton  mission  to  lend  their  assistance  to  the 
establishment  of  the  new  station.  Messrs.  Shuck 
and  Tobey  sailed  in  March  following,  via  Hong 
Kong.  Mr.  Tobey  was  graduated  from  Columbian 
College  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  a  few 
days  after  his  appointment  as  a  missionary  to 
China.  Mrs.  Tobey  was  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Shuck 
and  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Addison  Hall,  of  Virginia. 
Mr.  Yates  expected  to  accompany  his  colleagues 
but  was  detained  by  the  illness  of  his  wife.     He 

79 


80        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

sailed  a  month  later,  proceeding  at  once  to  Shang- 
hai where  he  was  the  first  of  the  missionary  party 
to  arrive. 

Mr.  Yates'  early  training  was  excellent  prepara- 
tion for  his  life-work.  Reared  on  a  farm  in  Wake 
County,  N.  C,  his  splendid  physique  enabled  him 
to  labor  and  endure  hardship  for  more  than  forty 
years  in  China.  Close  touch  with  nature  through 
his  early  years  fostered  an  unaffected  simplicity  of 
heart  that  was  one  of  the  charms  of  his  mature 
years.  His  conversion  was  the  result  of  too  pro- 
longed and  intense  a  struggle  not  to  have  had  a 
powerful  influence  over  his  future  life.  For  three 
years  he  sought  isolated  spots  in  the  woods  where 
he  would  be  unmolested  and  prayed,  "  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner,"  but  he  imagined  that  he 
must  find  peace  at  some  protracted  meeting  and 
his  prayers  were  in  reference  to  such  meetings. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  attended  a  meeting  at 
Mount  Pisgah  Church,  to  which  he  had  looked 
forward  hoping  to  find  pardon  for  his  sins.  The 
meeting  drew  near  its  close  and  he  was  in  despair, 
for  he  was  still  unsaved  and  there  was  no  other 
meeting  in  prospect.  In  agony  of  mind  he  went 
into  the  woods  and  falling  on  his  knees  cried,  "O 
Lord,  help  me."  He  had  too  long  sought  help  from 
the  preachers  and  he  now  turned  to  the  Lord  alone, 
and  in  him  found  peace. 

His  desire  to  enter  the  ministry  became  known 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  8 1 

to  the  president  of  Wake  Forest  College,  who  urged 
him  to  come  and  continue  his  education  and  se- 
cured aid  for  him  from  the  State  Convention. 
Soon  after  his  conversion  his  attention  was  directed 
to  the  condition  of  the  heathen  world  by  reading 
the  memoirs  of  Mrs.  Judson.  The  impression  made 
was  deep  and  lasting  and  when  he  made  known  his 
intention  to  enter  the  ministry  he  signified  his 
willingness  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathen. 
He  found  a  true  helpmate  in  Miss  Eliza  Moring, 
to  whom  he  was  married,  September  27,  1846. 
They  had  known  each  other  from  childhood  and 
their  love  was  but  the  maturing  of  a  youthful 
friendship.  She  was  a  lovely,  cultured,  and  conse- 
crated woman  and  proved  herself  as  strong  and 
efficient  in  her  sphere  as  her  husband  was  in  his. 
In  the  autumn  of  1846  the  Raleigh  Association 
adopted  Mr.  Yates  as  its  missionary  and  pledged 
him  a  competent  support. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yates  arrived  in  Shanghai,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1847.  Ignorant  of  the  language  and 
the  conditions  of  life  in  China,  they  were  to  en- 
counter many  difficulties  before  a  beginning  could 
be  made;  but  with  strong  faith  in  God  and  deep 
conviction  of  duty,  they  bravely  and  cheerfully 
faced  the  future.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tobey  joined  the 
mission  on  September  25,  and  anticipating  the 
arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shuck  in  October,  the 
missionary  family  removed   to   the   house   of   the 


82        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

Austrian  consul,  having  rented  it  for  two  years. 
This  was  a  more  commodious  dwelling  than  the 
one  previously  occupied,  and  being  outside  the  city 
walls  was  blessed  with  fresh  air  and  sunlight.  On 
November  6,  1847,  a  Baptist  church  of  ten  mem- 
bers was  constituted,  with  Mr.  Yates  as  clerk, 
Messrs.  Tobey  and  Yong  as  deacons,  and  Mr. 
Shuck  as  pastor. 

Doctor  and  Mrs.  James  sailed  for  China  in  No- 
vember, 1847.  Doctor  James'  desire  to  become  a 
missionary  physician  dated  from  the  time  of  his 
conversion  and  inspired  him  to  secure  the  fullest 
preparation  for  his  life-work.  A  few  months  be- 
fore his  departure  for  China  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  Price  Safford,  of  Salem,  Mass.  The 
missionaries  were  anxiously  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
Doctor  James,  who  had  been  appointed  treasurer 
of  the  mission,  but  their  hope  of  having  a  Christian 
physician  to  open  the  way  for  the  healing  of  souls 
was  doomed  to  saddest  disappointment.  In  April, 
1848,  the  schooner  bearing  Doctor  and  Mrs.  James 
was  capsized  by  a  sudden  squall  at  the  entrance  to 
the  harbor  of  Hong  Kong  and  the  missionaries 
found  through  the  depths  of  the  sea  a  way  for  the 
ransomed  to  pass  over. 

The  first  year  or  two  of  missionary  life  was  de- 
voted to  the  study  of  the  language  and  was  what 
Mr.  Yates  called  a  sort  of  incubation.  This  period 
of  study  proved  too  great  a  tax  on  Doctor  Yates ; 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  83 

the  optic  nerves  gave  way  and  his  sight  was  virtually 
gone.  As  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  give  up 
the  study  of  the  classics,  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
acquisition  of  the  spoken  language.  He  had  a  very 
acute  and  musical  ear  and  being  forced  out  of  his 
study  into  constant  intercourse  with  the  people 
during  these  first  years,  he  learned  to  speak  Chinese 
with  a  fluency  that  has  never  been  equaled.  The 
Chinese  could  scarcely  believe  that  he  was  a  for- 
eigner. A  year  from  the  date  of  his  arrival  in  Shang- 
hai he  began  to  preach  to  the  people.  A  vacant  ware- 
house on  the  mission  premises  was  converted  into 
a  chapel  and  furnished  with  benches  and  a  table. 
It  was  the  custom  for  one  of  the  missionaries  to 
stand  at  the  door  and  invite  the  people  in,  while 
another  stood  behind  the  table  and  when  two  or 
three  were  seated  he  began  talking  in  order  to  hold 
their  attention.  The  number  attending  gradually 
increased  to  fifty  or  more  as  the  news  spread  that 
the  missionaries  were  good  men  and  talked  about 
morality.  The  missionaries  entered  China  four  or 
five  years  after  the  opium  war  and  they  had  to 
contend  against  subdued  but  intense  opposition 
excited  by  the  strong  feeling  against  all  foreigners, 
a  feeling  growing  out  of  their  defeat  by  the  British. 
As  the  people  in  the  treaty  ports  began  to  under- 
stand the  object  of  foreigners  in  coming  to  China, 
either  a  better  state  of  feeling  was  engendered  or 
they  acquiesced  in  the  inevitable. 


84        MISSIONARY   WORK    OF   S.    B.    CONVENTION 

After  using  the  warehouse  for  several  months 
the  missionaries  succeeded  in  securing  a  preaching 
place  within  the  walls  of  the  city  and  began  to 
look  around  for  a  lot  on  which  to  build  a  large 
church,  the  funds  for  this  purpose  having  been  col- 
lected by  Mr.  Shuck  during  his  visit  to  the  United 
States.  The  plan  for  the  church  called  for  a  spire 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high  but  this  had  to  be 
abandoned  as  no  Chmaman  could  build  it.  A 
Gothic  structure  was  erected  with  a  brick  tower 
eighty  feet  high.  The  auditorium  was  sixty  by 
forty  feet,  with  broad  galleries,  baptistery,  and 
dressing  rooms,  the  seating  capacity  being  about 
seven  hundred.  It  was  a  conspicuous  object  in  the 
city  and  the  bell  tower  attracted  general  attention. 
The  church  was  burned  in  1862  and  was  rebuilt  by 
subscriptions  made  in  Shanghai. 

Doctor  Yates  gives  an  interesting  account  of  an 
incident  that  occurred  during  the  early  years  of  his 
missionary  life.  In  his  itinerant  work  he  met  a 
tea  merchant  from  an  interior  village.  He  was 
attracted  to  the  man,  invited  him  to  call  at  his 
house  and  to  come  to  church.  After  selling  his 
tea  the  merchant  accepted  the  invitation  and  had 
repeated  interviews  with  Doctor  Yates.  He  also 
frequently  attended  church.  Before  his  departure 
he  called  to  thank  Doctor  Yates  for  his  attentions 
and  was  given  a  New  Testament  and  some  tracts. 
Doctor  Yates  followed  him  with  his  prayers  and  a 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  85 

year  later  when  he  returned  to  Shanghai  he  called 
to  tell  Doctor  Yates  of  that  New  Testament.  He 
said  that  his  home  was  in  a  city  surrounded  by  an 
amphitheatre  of  mountains,  and  the  only  way  of 
egress  was  through  two  natural  tunnels.  The 
people  knew  nothing  of  the  outside  world  except 
what  they  learned  from  books  or  merchants.  When 
he  showed  them  the  New  Testament  they  read  it 
eagerly,  said  it  was  a  good  book,  and  Confucius 
must  have  had  access  to  it.  In  order  to  secure 
more  copies  of  it,  they  took  off  the  binding  and 
distributed  it  among  copyists  until  they  had 
secured  sixteen  copies  of  the  whole  Testament  and 
many  copies  of  portions  of  it.  They  also  intro- 
duced it  into  their  schools  as  a  text-book.  They 
had  discovered  from  studying  it  that  there  was 
another  and  older  book,  and  had  told  him  to  be 
sure  and  ask  for  the  other  volume  of  sacred  clas- 
sics. He  urged  Doctor  Yates  to  return  with  him 
and  preach  to  the  people  of  the  "  inside  world," 
but  the  Tai  Ping  rebellion  had  broken  out  and  the 
journey  was  fraught  with  many  dangers.  Doctor 
Yates  tried  to  persuade  the  merchant  not  to  at- 
tempt to  return  until  he  knew  the  way  was  safe, 
as  he  had  a  large  amount  of  silver  and  feared  rob- 
bers, but  he  insisted  on  making  the  journey.  He 
was  probably  murdered,  as  Doctor  Yates  never 
heard  of  him  afterward,  and  in  the  confusion  inci- 
dent to  the  approach  of  the  rebels  to   Shanghai, 


86        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

he  lost  the  memorandum  of  his  city  and  was  never 
able  to  follow  up  the  work  begun  by  that  New 
Testament. 

The  year  1849  witnessed  the  first  baptism  in 
the  great  heathen  city  of  Shanghai.  A  quiet  pond 
near  Mr.  Shuck's  house  was  the  spot  selected,  and 
many  of  the  passers-by  stopped  and  looked  in 
amazement  as  the  pastor  of  the  little  church  led 
three  of  their  countrymen  down  into  the  water 
and  baptized  them.  Early  in  the  history  of  the 
Shanghai  mission  an  outstation  was  established  at 
Oo  Kah  Jak,  or  village  of  the  Oo  family,  about  ten 
miles  from  the  heart  of  the  city.  This  was  the 
first  country  station  ever  opened  in  China.  Here 
the  first  Protestant  chapel  in  the  interior  was 
erected,  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  the  ladies  of 
the  mission.  Referring  to  this  station,  Mr.  Shuck 
said  that  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  was  the  first 
Protestant  Board  of  Missions  in  the  world  that 
held  property  and  gained  a  permanent  footing  in 
the  interior  of  China.  The  people  of  the  village 
numbered  about  two  hundred,  but  the  surrounding 
region  was  densely  populated,  and  the  people  were 
friendly  and  accessible  to  the  preaching  of  the  gos- 
pel. A  school  was  established,  with  an  attendance 
of  about  twelve,  several  girls  being  among  the 
number.  This  station  was  opened  with  a  view 
to  ascertaining  whether  the  foreigners  would  be 
kindly  received   in  the  interior  and   how  far  the 


CENTRAL   CHINA    MISSION  8/ 

missionaries  might  venture  to  send  books  and  es- 
tablish schools.  It  demonstrated  the  fact  that 
they  might  freely  enter  the  interior  and  prosecute 
their  work.  In  the  towns  there  was  a  great  de- 
mand for  books,  but  in  the  country  many  of  the 
people  could  not  read.  Women  who  could  read 
were  very  rare.  As  the  new  doctrine  grew  in 
favor,  the  press  around  the  boats  of  the  mission- 
aries, as  they  went  along  the  canals,  was  so  great 
that  they  could  only  put  a  book  or  tract  on  the 
end  of  a  long  pole  and  hand  it  over  to  the  people 
on  the  banks. 

The  early  history  of  a  mission  is  one  of  frequent 
changes,  as  new  missionaries  must  take  the  place 
of  those  compelled  to  return  home.  By  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Shuck,  in  185  i,  and  the  dismissal  of  Mr. 
Shuck,  in  1853,  to  work  among  the  Chinese  in 
California,  the  mission  lost  two  of  its  most  efficient 
workers.  The  Convention  of  185 1,  meeting  in 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  witnessed  the  designation  of 
Doctor  and  Mrs.  Crawford,  Mr.  A.  B.  Cabaniss, 
and  Dr.  G.  W.  Burton  to  missionary  service  in 
central  China.  While  Doctor  Crawford  was  under 
appointment,  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  received 
a  letter  from  Alabama,  asking  if  the  Board  would 
send  out  an  unmarried  woman,  and  commending 
Miss  Martha  Foster,  who  was  anxious  to  conse- 
crate her  life  to  the  service  of  Christ  in  China. 
This  letter  was  shown  to  Doctor  Crawford,  who 


88        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

regarded  it  as  a  providential  leading  and  immedi- 
ately set  out  for  Alabama.  After  a  brief  court- 
ship he  was  married  to  Miss  Foster,  March  12, 
1851. 

Doctor  Burton  was  highly  recommended  to  the 
Board  and  realized  the  hopes  centered  in  him. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  in  China  he  had  a  severe 
attack  of  brain  fever,  and  a  second  attack  rendered 
his  return  to  America  imperative.  A  speedy  res- 
toration to  health  made  him  eager  to  return  to  his 
chosen  field,  and  having  married  Miss  Bennett, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Cephas  Bennett,  of  Burma,  he 
sailed  for  China  in  1853.  He  was  a  great  addition 
to  the  mission ;  great  numbers  of  sick  people  were 
brought  to  him,  and  he  was  very  successful  in 
healing  their  diseases.  The  missionaries  and  the 
doctrines  they  taught  were  thus  brought  into  more 
general  notice.  On  one  occasion  Doctor  Burton 
visited  the  outstation  at  Oo  Kah  Jah,  and  as  soon 
as  it  became  known  that  he  had  arrived,  streams 
of  people  were  seen  wending  their  way  from  the 
surrounding  region  to  receive  attention  from  the 
foreign  doctor.  The  house  was  soon  crowded, 
and  the  doctor  dispensed  medicines  and  examined 
patients  until  he  was  compelled  by  fatigue  to  de- 
sist. Mr.  Cabaniss  dated  his  missionary  impres- 
sions to  the  visits  of  Judson,  Dean,  and  Shuck  to 
Richmond  College  while  he  was  a  student.  So 
deep  were  these  impressions  that  he  promised  Mr. 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  89 

Shuck  he  would  go  to  China  after  his  graduation, 
if  the  Lord  would  open  the  way.  He  went  out, 
supported  by  the  Goshen  Association  of  Virginia, 
his  native  State. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1852,  Doctor  Yates 
wrote  home  :  "There  is  a  general  spirit  of  inquiry 
concerning  our  religion,  but  it  is  all  headwork  ; 
there  is  no  heartwork  about  it.  But  we  know  that 
the  mind  must  be  informed  before  the  affections 
can  be  moved.  Ours  is  pioneer  work.  I  trust 
the  Board  and  the  churches  will  not  become  weary 
in  waiting  long  for  the  harvest  at  Shanghai." 

The  next  year  brought  trial  and  discourage- 
ment greater  than  any  yet  known.  The  Tai 
Ping  rebellion  had  grown  to  such  magnitude 
that  the  passions  of  four  millions  of  people  were 
lashed  into  fury.  An  uprising  of  peasants  and 
mountaineers,  in  1850,  had  grown  to  an  insurrec- 
tion that  threatened  the  overthrow  of  the  empire. 
Beginning  as  a  struggle  for  religious  freedom,  idols 
were  cast  down,  temples  destroyed,  and  a  declara- 
tion of  rights  drawn  up,  embodying  the  first  com- 
mandment and  setting  forth  the  right  of  the  rebels 
to  worship  the  one  true  God.  Around  this  decla- 
ration the  adherents  knelt  with  drawn  swords  and 
swore  to  defend  it  with  their  lives.  The  Scrip- 
tures were  printed  and  distributed  among  the 
troops  and  the  people  flocked  to  the  new  standard. 
It  soon  degenerated  into  a  political  movement  of 


90        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

ruthless  destruction  and  indiscriminate  slaughter. 
These  trying  times  inspired  the  people  with  confi- 
dence in  the  missionaries.  Seeing  their  own  offi- 
cials unable  to  cope  with  the  situation,  they  turned 
to  the  foreigners  for  protection.  This  is  illus- 
trated by  the  action  of  a  man,  who,  during  a  panic, 
made  frantic  efforts  to  secure  a  place  of  safety  for 
about  two  hundred  dollars  in  silver,  and  decided 
to  throw  it  over  the  wall  into  Doctor  Yates'  yard 
and  continue  his  flight.  It  is  needless  to  say  he 
came  and  received  his  money  when  the  panic  was 
over. 

On  September  7,  1853,  the  rebels  gained  pos- 
session of  the  city  of  Shanghai.  Slight  resistance 
was  offered,  there  was  little  bloodshed,  and  the 
missionaries  sustained  no  injury.  Doctor  Yates' 
house,  just  without  the  city  wall,  was  the  cover 
under  which  the  Imperialists  came  within  three 
hundred  feet  of  the  city  wall.  He  witnessed  sixty- 
eight  battles  around  his  house,  for  he  remained  to 
protect  it  after  it  was  thought  unsafe  for  the  ladies 
to  stay  in  such  an  exposed  position  and  they  had 
removed  to  safer  quarters.  Doctor  Yates  did  not 
think  the  rebels  would  fire  intentionally  at  his 
house,  but  he  was  exposed  to  great  danger  from 
stray  shots  that  frequently  crashed  through  the 
outer  windows. 

During  these  months  of  forced  inaction  Doctor 
Yates  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  the  language 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  QI 

and  rendered  into  the  Shanghai  dialect  a  tract  en- 
titled "  The  Two  Friends."  He  also  devoted  much 
time  to  the  preparation  of  a  dictionary  of  the  words 
and  phrases  of  the  spoken  Shanghai  dialect.  This 
has  proved  of  inestimable  benefit  to  later  mission- 
aries. Cut  off  from  all  supplies  by  a  w'all  fifteen 
feet  thick,  that  the  Imperialists  had  erected  to 
starve  out  the  rebels,  Doctor  Yates  demanded  a 
gate  in  the  wall  and  in  case  this  should  be  refused 
and  he  be  compelled  to  leave  the  premises,  de- 
manded a  guarantee  of  indemnity  for  whatever 
damage  the  property  might  receive.  This  was 
paid  in  at  the  consulate,  and  after  guarding  his 
house  for  sixteen  months,  surrounded  by  scenes 
revolting  and  horrible,  he  sadly  abandoned  it.  The 
Imperalists  immediately  occupied  the  house  as  a 
battery  and  used  all  the  wood  work  as  fuel.  The 
rebels  secretly  withdrew  from  the  city  and  the 
Imperalists,  fearing  treachery,  fired  it.  The  most 
valuable  portion  was  destroyed  and  during  the 
three  days  the  fire  raged  the  army  was  allowed 
to  sack  the  city.  With  this  the  rebellion  ended. 
It  was  local  and  though  contemporaneous  had  no 
real  connection  with  the  Tai  Ping  movement. 

The  mission  property  was  returned,  and  with  the 
indemnity  Doctor  Yates  had  secured,  the  houses 
were  rebuilt  and  made  habitable.  The  following 
interesting  incident  illustrates  the  confidence  Doc- 
tor Yates  inspired,  and  the  frequent  appeals  made 


92        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

to  his  kindness  and  generosity  that  grew  out  of 
this  confidence.  A  poor  old  Chinaman  called  one 
day  with  a  pitiful  story  of  poverty  and  helplessness. 
He  told  Doctor  Yates  that  he  and  his  old  wife 
must  soon  die  and  they  had  no  money  to  pay 
funeral  expenses,  and  no  children  to  bury  them. 
He  was  not  a  Christian,  but  had  attended  services 
and  had  watched  Doctor  Yates  for  years  and  had 
been  convinced  that  there  were  none  among  his 
countrymen  more  honest.  He  came  with  the  un- 
usual request  that  Doctor  Yates  would  furnish  the 
money  for  their  coffins  and  attend  to  their  burial. 
Seeing  he  was  so  firmly  convinced  of  the  disinter- 
estedness of  the  missionaries.  Doctor  Yates  decided 
to  give  him  a  hundred  dollars.  With  this  he  pur- 
chased two  coffins.  A  few  weeks  later  he  came 
again  to  Doctor  Yates  and  insisted  on  giving  him 
the  title  to  a  small  piece  of  ground  in  the  suburbs. 
He  said  it  was  not  worth  anything,  but  he  had  noth- 
ing else  to  offer  in  return  for  his  kindness.  When 
the  old  people  died  Doctor  Yates  attended  to  their 
burial.  Years  passed  and  an  Englishman  came  to 
Doctor  Yates  to  buy  a  lot  he  owned  in  the  suburbs. 
Doctor  Yates  denied  owning  any  property  in  that 
portion  of  the  city,  but  on  consulting  the  records  it 
was  found  to  be  the  lot  given  him  by  the  old  man. 
It  had  enhanced  in  value  and  sold  for  $1,500. 

When  jDcace  was  restored  after  the  rebellion,  the 
missionaries  lent  themselves  to  aggressive  work. 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  93 

The  destruction  of  idols  and  temples  having  given 
ocular  demonstration  of  the  weakness  of  their  gods, 
the  people  were  ready  to  listen  with  deeper  inter- 
est to  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  The  idols  for  the 
time  being,  at  least,  lost  their  power  and  while 
heretofore  it  had  been  a  difficult  matter  to  secure 
one  that  had  been  worshiped,  they  were  now  for 
sale  at  any  curio  shop  and  could  be  bought  for  a 
trifle.  The  year  1855  was  an  eventful  one,  mark- 
ing the  suppression  of  the  rebellion,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries had  never  before  been  able  to  do  so  much 
apparently  effective  preaching.  It  was  marked  by 
the  first  baptism  of  a  Chinese  woman.  Five  schools 
were  maintained,  with  an  attendance  of  a  hundred 
and  fifty  boys  and  fifty  girls. 

After  ten  years  of  continued  and  exhausting 
service  in  China,  Doctor  Yates,  with  his  family 
and  Mrs.  Crawford,  sailed  for  the  United  States  in 
September,  1857.  They  were  shipwrecked  before 
they  left  the  China  seas,  and  after  several  days  of 
extreme  peril  were  picked  up  by  a  Siamese  vessel 
and  returned  to  Shanghai.  They  sailed  again  in 
November,  assured  that  everything  had  been  pro- 
vided for  their  comfort,  but  the  supply  of  nourish- 
ing food  gave  out  while  yet  two  months  of  the 
voyage  remained  and  they  landed  in  New  York 
worn  out  and  exhausted  in  mind  and  body. 

In  March,  i860,  Doctor  Yates  was  again  in 
Shanghai.     He  received  a  warm  welcome  from  the 


94        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

native  members  of  the  church,  some  of  whom  had 
been  called  to  endure  persecution  for  their  faith. 
Shortly  after  the  country  was  again  in  rebellion 
and  the  city  was  occupied  by  the  allied  French  and 
English  armies  to  guard  it  against  the  rebels.  In 
this  time  of  excitement  the  great  mass  of  the  peo- 
ple moved  to  the  interior,  and  congregations  were 
small,  consisting  mainly  of  Chinese  from  the  in- 
terior. Doctor  Yates  congratulated  himself  that 
before  sailing  for  America  he  had  studied  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Mandarins  and  was  able  to  preach  to 
these  strangers.  This  year  Doctor  Yates  experi- 
enced the  joy  of  baptizing  Wong  Yih  San,  a  rice 
merchant,  who  had  been  interested  for  years  but 
feared  he  could  not  keep  the  Sabbath  and  earn 
a  living  for  his  family.  He  had  finally  deter- 
mined to  obey  Christ,  whatever  might  be  the  con- 
sequences. All  aggressive  work,  however,  was  sus- 
pended on  account  of  the  war,  but  Doctor  Yates 
wrote :  "  Now  that  we  can  do  little  more  than 
hold  on,  God  is  at  work.  The  Chinese  have  been 
humbled  ;  an  effectual  door  will  soon  be  opened." 
Toward  the  close  of  the  year  peace  was  restored 
and  the  refugees  returned  to  their  homes.  In 
the  midst  of  difficulties  Doctor  Yates  felt  encour- 
aged. The  church-members,  numbering  twenty- 
four,  maintained  a  weekly  prayer  meeting  among 
themselves ;  seven  of  them  prayed  in  public  and 
most  of  the  others  prayed  in  their  families. 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  95 

In  April,  i860,  Alfred  Luther  Bond,  of  Athens, 
Ohio,  was  appointed  a  missionary  to  China.  At 
an  early  age  he  removed  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  and 
was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  by  Doctor  Williams.  He  entered 
Columbian  College,  Washington,  D.  C,  sustained 
by  his  church.  The  president  of  the  college.  Doc- 
tor Binney,  said  he  was  worth  his  weight  in  gold, 
so  great  was  his  moral  influence  upon  the  students. 
In  July,  i860,  he  was  ordained  and  married  to 
Miss  Helena  Dameron,  of  Baltimore.  Eager  to 
enter  into  missionary  life  they  sailed  from  New 
York  in  the  "  Edwin  Forest."  Nothing  was  ever 
heard  from  them  and  no  trace  of  the  vessel  was 
ever  found. 

This  sad  event  was  the  presage  of  years  of  trial 
and  discouragement.  Doctor  Burton,  who  had 
been  rendering  valuable  assistance  to  the  mission- 
aries while  supporting  himself  by  his  profession, 
returned  to  America  in  1861.  Wars  in  China  and 
America  added  a  two-fold  burden  to  the  mission- 
aries;  in  1862  the  Asiatic  cholera  raged  in  the 
city  ;  the  large  chapel  was  destroyed  by  fire  ;  con- 
gregations were  small  or  entirely  broken  up ; 
schools  were  dispersed ;  and  everything  wore  a 
gloomy  aspect.  The  missionaries  largely  sup- 
ported themselves,  although  aided  by  generous 
friends  in  Maryland  and  Kentucky.  They  felt,  as 
Doctor  Crawford  expressed  it,  that   "war  or  no 


96        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF   S.     B.    CONVENTION 

war,  the  mission  must  go  on,"  and  while  their 
brethren  at  home  were  suffering  all  the  devasta- 
tion of  war  they  must  make  the  least  possible  de- 
mand upon  them.  During  this  troublous  time 
Doctor  and  Mrs.  Crawford  removed  to  Tungchow 
and  connected  themselves  with  the  Shantung  mis- 
sion. 

Doctor  Yates,  feeling  that  he  could  not  depend 
on  a  support  through  the  usual  channels,  entered 
government  employ.  This  had  the  effect  of  en- 
larging his  sphere  of  influence  and  securing  wider 
opportunities  for  future  usefulness.  In  1865 
Doctor  Yates  wrote  to  the  Board  that  he  wished 
to  make  an  annual  contribution  of  his  salary  from 
the  first  of  July,  1863,  and  to  renounce  all  claim 
on  the  Board  for  services  rendered  so  long  as  a 
piece  of  property  he  had  acquired  yielded  sufficient 
income  for  the  support  of  his  family. 

The  opening  months  of  the  year  1866  were 
marked  by  discouragement  and  gloom.  War  had 
had  a  demoralizing  effect  on  the  people  and  the 
church,  and  the  spirit  of  inquiry  was  practically 
dead.  The  practice  of  some  English  missionaries 
of  receiving  into  the  church  those  who  were  will- 
ing to  abandon  idols,  but  who  had  not  accepted 
Christ,  and  the  protection  of  the  French  flag  over 
the  papist  places  of  worship,  thus  leading  many  to 
seek  their  protection,  had  militated  against  the 
purer   methods    employed    by    Baptists.     Feeling 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  97 

deeply  the  unfavorable  circumstances  surrounding 
the  mission,  the  missionaries  devoted  the  first  of 
the  year  to  prayer  for  the  Holy  Spirit.  Gradually 
the  prospect  brightened. 

The  year  1 867  witnessed  the  twentieth  anniver- 
sary of  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Yates'  arrival  in  China. 
When  they  opened  the  mission,  the  country  out- 
side of  Shanghai  was  practically  closed  to  them, 
opposition  came  from  local  authorities,  priests,  and 
people ;  but  at  the  end  of  twenty  years,  hundreds 
of  miles  of  territory  lay  open  to  the  missionary, 
and  a  population  of  one  million  was  accessible  to 
the  gospel.  The  Scriptures  had  been  widely  dis- 
tributed, and  Doctor  Yates  wrote  that  the  obstacle 
was  merely  that  of  the  heart,  hardened  by  ages  of 
idolatry,  which  could  only  be  penetrated  by  the 
Spirit  and  power  of  God.  The  earlier  months  of 
1869  were  full  of  hope  and  encouragement.  A 
deep  interest  pervaded  the  large  congregation  and 
converts  of  a  better  type  were  received  into  the 
church.  In  his  eagerness  to  seize  every  opportu- 
nity and  his  effort  to  do  the  work  of  many,  Doctor 
Yates  overstrained  his  voice  and  it  suddenly  failed. 
He  was  compelled  to  give  up  all  public  speaking 
and  seek  restoration  in  other  lands.  As  he  was 
otherwise  in  perfect  health,  this  was  a  deep  grief 
to  him.  His  affliction  seemed  to  have  a  benefi- 
cent influence  on  the  church-membership,  making 
them  feel  their  responsibility  to  teach  the  people 

G 


98        MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

the  way  of  life.  For  several  years  Doctor  Yates 
was  unable  to  stay  in  Shanghai  more  than  a  few 
months  at  a  time.  During  his  last  absence,  the 
mission  was  in  charge  of  Wong  Ping  San,  a  native 
preacher,  whose  gifts  as  a  pastor  were  marvelously 
developed,  and  of  Mrs.  Yates,  who  took  the  direc- 
tion of  affairs.  She  impressed  upon  the  church 
the  duty  of  lifting  the  burden  of  its  support  from 
American  Christians,  that  they  might  the  sooner 
send  the  gospel  to  other  parts  of  the  heathen 
world. 

When  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  met  in 
Texas,  in  1874,  it  was  found  that  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Shanghai  had  contributed  ^800  to  the 
objects  of  the  Convention,  and  Doctor  Yates  re- 
quested that  the  church  be  represented  in  that 
body.  Christian  Seminoles,  from  Indian  Terri- 
tory, were  chosen  to  represent  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Shanghai.  On  October  17,  1881,  the 
Hiang  Cheh  Baptist  Association  met  with  Doctor 
Yates'  church  in  Shanghai.  This  was  the  first 
Association  ever  convened  in  China.  Thirteen 
churches  were  represented.  Of  these,  ten  were 
under  the  patronage  of  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union  and  three  under  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board.  Thirty-one  missionaries  and  dele- 
gates were  present  and  important  matters  con- 
nected with  the  policy  of  the  churches  were  dis- 
cussed.    A   further   advance   this   year  was  the 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  99 

organization  and  maintenance  of  a  school  by  seven 
native  Christian  women,  all  of  them  very  poor. 
They  conferred  with  Mrs.  Yates  week  by  week  as 
to  its  management,  but  scarcely  a  suggestion  on 
her  part  was  ever  needed. 

After  twenty-three  years  of  lonely,  untiring 
service.  Doctor  Yates'  urgent  and  repeated  appeals 
for  reinforcements  were  responded  to  by  W.  S. 
Walker,  of  Georgia,  who  arrived  in  Shanghai  in 
January,  1882.  He  made  rapid  progress  in  the 
study  of  Chinese,  and  his  knowledge  of  music 
enabled  him  to  begin  at  once  to  train  the  young 
people  in  singing.  The  mission  received  another 
welcome  addition,  in  1882,  by  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Walker  to  Miss  Lilian  Mateer,  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Mission  at  Tungchow.  Miss  Mateer  was  a 
woman  of  unusual  intellectual  ability  and  force  of 
character  and  had  given  her  life  unreservedly  to 
the  service  of  God  in  China.  Mr.  Walker  over- 
taxed his  strength  by  too  constant  application  in 
studying  the  language  and  was  prostrated  by  an 
attack  of  brain  fever.  His  physicians  advised  his 
return  to  America,  and  sadly  these  devoted  mis- 
sionaries laid  down  the  work  to  which  they  had 
consecrated  their  lives. 

At  the  recommendation  of  Messrs.  Yates  and 
Walker,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Hunnex,  English 
Baptist  missionaries  of  the  China  Inland  Mission, 
were  accepted  by  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  in 


100     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

1 88 1.  They  located  at  Chinkiang,  a  city  of  two 
hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Grand  Canal  and  Yangtse  River,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  from  Shanghai.  Mr.  Hunnex  was 
baptized  by  Mr.  Spurgeon  in  1878  and  united  with 
his  church.  Having  become  interested  in  China 
by  attending  the  meetings  of  the  China  Inland 
Mission,  he  went  out  as  a  missionary  under  its 
auspices.     Mrs.  Hunnex  was  a  Swiss,  from  Geneva. 

On  Sunday,  June  10,  1883,  the  Baptist  church 
in  Soochow  was  formally  dedicated  and  though  it 
was  a  rainy  day  the  house  and  yard  were  crowded 
with  people.  Doctor  Yates  had  been  urging  the 
erection  of  a  chapel  in  Chinkiang  and  his  heart 
was  gladdened  by  a  telegram  from  the  Convention 
of  1885,  in  session  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  authoriz- 
ing the  building  of  the  chapel.  This  work  lay 
very  near  his  heart  and  he  spent  much  time  su- 
perintending its  erection  and  renovating  the  mis- 
sion house.  He  described  the  chapel  as  a  thing 
of  beauty,  and  as  the  solid,  well-built  wall  arose 
he  said  to  Mr.  Hunnex:  "This  place  will  stand 
long  after  I  am  gone."  They  often  prayed  to- 
gether that  God  would  make  it  the  birthplace  of 
many  souls.  Two  years  later  a  bell  was  shipped 
for  the  chapel,  most  of  the  money  for  which  was 
raised  by  the  efforts  of  the  former  missionaries, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker. 

In  January,  1886,  the  mission  rejoiced  over  the 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  TO  I 

arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  W.  Herring  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  R.  T.  Bryan.  All  were  from  North 
Carolina  and  were  probably  influenced  in  their  de- 
cision to  enter  the  China  field  by  Doctor  Yates' 
repeated  and  urgent  appeals  for  co-workers.  Her- 
ring and  Bryan  were  both  college  men  ;  they  had 
also  graduated  from  the  seminary  at  Louisville 
and  had  some  experience  in  pastoral  work.  Their 
progress  in  the  language  was  exceptional  and  in 
less  than  a  year  they  were  conducting  public  serv- 
ices. Mr.  Herring  remained  in  Shanghai  and  Mr. 
Bryan  joined  Mr.  Hunnex  at  Chinkiang  where 
within  a  year  a  church  of  eleven  members  was 
organized. 

This  year  brought  to  Doctor  Yates  a  signal  an- 
swer to  prayer.  For  ten  years  he  had  been  asking 
God  to  raise  up  some  Chinaman  who  would  give 
undoubted  evidence  of  pre-eminent  consecration  to 
God's  service.  Deacon  Wong,  the  merchant  who 
had  decided  to  close  his  shop  on  Sunday  and  join 
the  church,  had  won  an  enviable  reputation  for  reli- 
ability and  had  become  very  rich.  While  erecting 
a  block  of  buildings  the  idea  of  building  a  chapel 
presented  itself  to  him.  This  he  did  on  his  own 
property  and  at  his  own  charges,  and  dedicated  it 
for  all  time  to  the  worship  of  God.  Here  he 
preached  three  times  a  week  and  when  Doctor 
Yates  occasionally  visited  the  chapel  he  found  it 
full  of  attentive  listeners. 


I02     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

In  the  summer  of  1887,  Doctor  Yates  had  a 
partial  stroke  of  paralysis,  but  recovered  sufficiently 
to  continue  his  work  of  translating  and  to  push  the 
publication  of  the  New  Testament  in  the  colloquial 
dialect,  the  translation  of  which  he  had  finished  as 
far  as  the  book  of  Revelation.  At  the  meeting  of 
the  State  Convention  of  North  Carolina,  in  No- 
vember, the  additional  amount  necessary  for  the 
erection  of  the  dwelling-house  in  Chinkiang  was 
raised  and  the  telegram  announcing  the  fact  real- 
ized the  long-cherished  hope  of  the  veteran  mis- 
sionary. Work  was  begun  at  once.  Doctor  Yates 
superintending  it.  This  was  the  last  effort  of  his 
life.  In  February  following,  while  at  Chinkiang, 
he  was  again  stricken  with  paralysis  and  a  month 
later,  March  17,  1888,  he  entered  into  rest.  After 
forty  years  of  active  service  for  the  land  of  his 
adoption,  there,  where  he  wished  it  to  occur,  he 
finished  his  course  and  received  his  crown  of  re- 
joicing. He  had  often  expressed  the  wish  to  die 
in  China,  that  in  the  resurrection  he  might  arise 
with  the  sheaves  he  had  gathered  from  its  ripen- 
ing harvest  fields. 

Doctor  Yates  had  planned  that  the  Chinkiang 
house  should  cost  $1,000  more  than  the  Board 
had  appropriated.  After  his  death  Mr.  Bryan 
went  to  Mrs.  Yates  and  explained  the  matter  to 
her,  telling  her  it  was  not  too  late  to  draw  in  the 
foundations  and  build  a  smaller  and  a  good  house 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  IO3 

within  the  appropriation  of  the  Board.  She 
thanked  him  for  coming  and  said,  "  Go  on  and 
carry  out  his  plan  and  present  the  bill  to  me."  It 
was  her  delight  thus  to  fulfill  his  desires  and  plans. 
Doctor  Yates'  strength  and  virtue  need  no  enco- 
mium, but  the  world  does  not  yet  know  the  quiet, 
gentle,  but  none  the  less  powerful  spirit  of  the 
wife  who  survived  him.  He  still  lived  in  her. 
She  gave  up  her  salary  and  moved  away  from  the 
mission  house,  but  remarked  to  Mr.  Bryan  one 
day,  •'  The  older  I  grow  the  more  of  a  missionary 
I  become." 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  1888,  a  year  so  sadly 
memorable,  the  mission  was  gladdened  by  the 
arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  C.  Britton  and  Mr.  E.  F. 
Tatum.  The  Central  China  Mission  seemed  to 
have  peculiar  claims  on  North  Carolina,  all  these 
being  natives  of  that  State.  The  year  following 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Britton  removed  to  Soochow,  where 
a  native  helper  had  labored  for  some  years,  organ- 
ized a  church,  and  done  the  work  of  an  evangelist, 
and  where  Mrs.  Yates,  with  a  generosity  that  was 
characteristic  of  her,  had  built  a  two-storied  mis- 
sion house  at  a  cost  of  $1,200.  Miss  Alice  Flagg 
joined  the  mission  in  November,  1889,  and  a 
month  later  was  married  to  Mr.  Tatum.  On  the 
fifth  of  February,  1889,  a  mob  totally  destroyed 
the  chapel,  dwelling-house,  and  all  the  property  of 
the  missionaries  at  Chinkiang.     The  missionaries 


104     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

fled  to  Shanghai,  where  they  were  welcomed  with 
great  kindness  and  sympathy.  Antipathy  to  them 
and  their  work  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  upris- 
ing, as  it  was  directed  against  foreigners  as  such. 
The  matter  was  promptly  reported  to  the  United 
States  government,  and  the  Chinese  government 
made  ample  reparation  for  the  destruction  of  the 
property,  and  the  missionaries  were  soon  as  com- 
fortable as  before  the  disaster. 

The  mission  received  another  welcome  addition 
in  Mr,  and  Mrs.  L.  N.  Chappell,  of  North  Carolina, 
who  sailed  for  China  in  February,  1889.  Mr. 
Chappell  was  a  tutor  in  Wake  Forest  College  and 
was  aroused  by  Mr.  Bryan's  burning  love  for  the 
heathen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chappell  joined  Messrs. 
Bryan  and  Hunnex  at  Chinkiang. 

In  his  report  for  1890,  Mr.  Bryan  told  of  a  new 
plan  that  he  had  adopted  in  his  work  at  the  out- 
stations.  Instead  of  renting  a  room  and  employ- 
ing a  chapel  keeper,  he  paid  a  small  sum,  usually 
eighteen  cents,  for  the  privilege  of  preaching  in  a 
tea  shop.  He  always  sought  the  same  shops  and, 
if  he  went  at  the  right  time,  was  always  sure  of  an 
audience  in  which  all  classes  were  represented. 
Tea  shops  were  the  newspapers  of  China ;  there  the 
latest  news  was  discussed,  business  was  transacted, 
and  difficulties  were  settled.  It  was  Mr.  Bryan's 
plan  to  preach,  sing,  and  talk  with  those  who  came 
in,  and  after  placing  tracts  on  the  walls  to  preach 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  IO5 

during  his  absence,  to  go  away  and  leave  them  to 
discuss  the  good  news.  Work  in  Chinkiang,  dur- 
ing 1 89 1,  was  seriously  interfered  with  by  con- 
tinuous rioting,  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  prop- 
erty belonging  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
being  destroyed,  though  the  dissatisfaction  of  the 
people  seemed  to  be  with  the  existing  state  of 
things  rather  than  with  the  foreigners,  and  ver)' 
little  Protestant  property  was  destroyed.  The  re- 
sult of  these  riots  was  to  bring  mission  work  to 
the  attention  of  the  imperial  throne.  A  decree  was 
issued  that  missionaries  were  worthy  of  respect  and 
must  be  protected  by  the  officials  of  the  land. 

In  the  autumn  the  mission  was  reinforced  by 
the  arrival  of  Miss  N.  A.  Miner  and  Mr.  L.  W. 
Pierce,  who  were  married  a  few  months  later  and 
removed  to  Yangchow,  there  to  open  a  station. 
Yangchow  is  a  large  and  wealthy  city  situated  on 
the  Grand  Canal,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Chin- 
kiang. In  June,  1892,  Mr.  Herring  tendered  his 
resignation  to  the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  having 
adopted  the  views  entertained  by  the  members  of 
the  Gospel  Mission.  After  Mr.  Herring's  with- 
drawal from  the  mission  Mr.  Bryan  removed  to 
Shanghai,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  opened  a 
chapel  outside  the  East  Gate.  This  section  was 
very  destitute  and  Mr.  Bryan  felt  that  an  evan- 
gelist ought  to  be  always  at  hand,  and  a  guest 
room,  with  Christian  literature  to  be  read  and  kept 


I06     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

on  sale,  ought  to  be  accessible  twelve  hours  in  the 
day.  He  went  to  consult  Mrs,  Yates,  who  listened 
to  his  arguments  for  a  few  moments  and  then  said : 
"  You  need  not  try  to  persuade  me  ;  go  and  begin 
this  work  and  I  will  pay  the  expense  of  it."  Her 
gifts  supported  the  work  for  some  time  after  her 
death.  In  1899  there  was,  at  this  point,  a  boys' 
school,  a  girls'  school,  and  an  organized  church  of 
eleven  members. 

In  November,  1892,  the  missionaries  met  in 
Soochow  and  organized  the  Central  China  Baptist 
Missionary  Conference.  As  soon  as  this  organ- 
ization was  perfected,  it  was  proposed  to  organize 
the  five  Baptist  churches  in  the  two  missions  into 
a  Baptist  Association.  The  Shanghai  church  had 
heretofore  affiliated  with  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union  ;  but  as  the  Chinese  Christians 
had  expressed  some  interest  in  organizing  to  send 
evangelists  to  their  countrymen,  it  was  deemed 
best  to  encourage  them.  The  year  1893  was 
marked  by  unusual  blessing  to  the  missions  in  and 
around  Shanghai.  Years  of  untiring  effort  had 
preceded  it,  and  it  was  immediately  prefaced  by  a 
call  to  prayer  on  the  part  of  native  and  foreign 
workers.  On  January  9  an  evangelical  meeting 
was  begun,  in  which  most  of  the  missionaries  and 
native  workers  were  engaged  for  four  weeks. 
Messrs.  Bryan  and  Tatum  continued  to  hold 
services,  and  much  interest  and  enthusiasm  was 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  IO7 

manifested.  Christians  were  revived  and  strength- 
ened in  the  faith,  and  some  hopeful  converts  were 
gathered  into  the  churches.  March  24,  1894,  the 
Shanghai  mission  lost  in  Mrs.  Yates  its  stanchest 
friend.  She  was  known  to  all  the  missionaries  as 
"  Mother  Yates,"  and  it  was  to  her  they  came 
when  they  reached  this  foreign  land.  Her  home 
was  a  refuge  in  sickness  or  distress,  and  her 
motherly  heart  was  ever  ready  with  counsel  and 
sympathy. 

After  a  visit  to  the  home-land,  Mr.  Bryan  re- 
turned to  Shanghai  in  the  autumn  of  1894,  accom- 
panied by  Miss  Charlotte  Price,  Miss  Kelly,  Miss 
Julia  Mackenzie,  and  Rev.  W.  W.  Lawton.  Misses 
Price  and  Kelly  remained  in  Shanghai,  thus  in- 
creasing the  force  of  foreign  workers  at  that  sta- 
tion to  six,  the  largest  number  since  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  mission.  Miss  Mackenzie  joined  the 
Chappells  at  Chinkiang,  and  Mr.  Lawton,  after  a 
few  months  at  Soochow,  located  in  Chinkiang, 
The  year  1896  brought  to  Mr.  Bryan  the  opportu- 
nity to  engage  in  a  work  that  had  long  been  on 
his  heart.  He  organized  a  class  to  meet  once  a 
week  and  study  the  life  of  Christ  from  Doctor 
Broadus'  "  Harmony  of  the  Gospels."  Soon  after 
this  class  for  Bible  study  was  organized  there 
sprang  up  in  the  church  a  spirit  of  willing  service 
that  resulted  in  the  formation  of  two  bands  of  vol- 
unteer   workers,   one    among    the    men    and   one 


I08     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

among  the  women.  Mrs.  Tatum  organized  a 
woman's  missionary  society,  that  proved  very  help- 
ful and  successful.  The  money  collected  was  used 
for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen 
women  of  China. 

School  work  has  always  been  a  prominent  fea- 
ture of  the  Central  China  Mission.  In  1896  seven 
schools  were  under  its  care,  one  of  these  being 
the  Associational  school,  a  new  enterprise.  The 
Shanghai,  Quinsan,  and  Soochow  churches  united 
to  form  an  Association,  and  appointed  a  school 
committee,  composed  of  Mrs.  Seaman,  Doctor 
Yates'  daughter,  Mr.  Bryan,  Mr.  Britton,  and 
three  native  brethren.  The  committee  opened  a 
boarding  and  day  school  combined,  on  the  self- 
supporting  basis,  and  succeeded  beyond  their  most 
sanguine  hopes.  Mrs.  Seaman  gave  the  school  a 
good  building  and  a  liberal  contribution  for  repairs 
and  furniture.  Encouraged  by  the  success  of  the 
boys'  school,  the  committee  opened  one  for  girls  in 
February,  1897.  The  great  object  of  all  these 
schools  was  to  teach  the  people  the  gospel. 

The  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Shanghai  Baptist 
church  was  celebrated  on  November  6,  1897.  It 
was  a  jubilee  year,  indeed,  in  that  it  was  a  year 
of  special  blessing  in  many  ways.  The  principal 
feature  of  the  day  was  the  history  of  the  church, 
prepared  by  the  secretary,  Wong  Sing  San.  Be- 
ginning with  six  missionaries  and  two  native  evan- 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  IO9 

gelists  from  Canton,  the  church  had  grown  to  be 
a  self-supporting  body  of  over  a  hundred  members. 
In  the  afternoon  the  children  celebrated  the  first 
decade  of  the  Sunday-school.  On  the  eighth  the 
Association  met,  and  the  Baptist  churches  of  Chin- 
kiang  and  Yangchow  were  received  as  members. 

On  October  14,  1897,  the  mission  gained  a 
valuable  worker,  already  trained,  by  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Lawton  to  Miss  Ida  C.  Deaver,  of  the 
Methodist  Mission  at  Chinkiang.  Mr.  Lawton  is 
an  active,  energetic  missionary,  always  alert  for 
new  ways  of  reaching  the  people.  His  chapel 
at  Chinkiang  was  opened  as  a  sort  of  reading 
room,  and  the  chapel  keeper  sat  within  to  converse 
with  those  who  came,  or  to  show  the  books  on  the 
table.  A  house  known  as  the  Beggars'  Home, 
where  an  average  of  fifty  men  slept  on  cold  winter 
nights,  was  looked  after  by  the  mission.  The  ob- 
ject of  this  house  was  to  afford  lodging  for  poor, 
homeless  fellows,  who  could  not  afford  to  pay  for 
lodgings  at  cheap  inns.  At  first  no  charge  was 
made,  but  afterward  a  small  fee  was  required  of 
those  who  could  afford  to  pay  it.  One  month  in 
the  winter  of  1898,  nine  hundred  and  three  men 
were  housed.  In  the  winter  of  1898  Mr.  Lawton 
opened  schools  among  the  famine  refugees  from 
the  Shantung  province,  who  came  down  the  canal 
and  lived  in  huts  made  of  bamboo  mats.  Natives 
and  foreigners  gave  them  what  relief  they  could. 


no     MISSION'ARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

As  the  church  at  the  North  Gate  of  Shanghai 
had  become  self-supporting,  and  a  large  sum  had 
been  offered  for  the  mission  dwellings,  they  were 
sold.  Eight  times  as  much  land  was  secured  out- 
side of  the  city  and  foreign  concessions,  but  in 
a  position  to  be  taken  in  by  an  enlargement  of 
the  American  concession.  Three  comfortable  and 
substantial  houses  were  arranged  for  in  place  of 
the  two  old  ones,  and  there  was  room  for  two 
schools.  Mrs.  Seaman  gave  the  building  for  the 
girls'  school,  naming  it  "  The  Eliza  Yates  Girls' 
School." 

The  year  1898  was  one  of  progress  at  Yang- 
chow,  though  there  were  no  additions  to  the 
church,  A  church  building  was  completed,  and 
Mr.  Pierce  rejoiced  in  the  first  church  building 
in  the  city.  The  country  work  opened  up  with 
brighter  prospects  than  ever  before.  Mr.  Pierce 
received  many  calls  to  go  out  and  teach  inquirers, 
and  in  two  villages  he  was  offered  chapels  if 
he  would  go  and  teach  in  them.  The  mission 
welcomed  three  valuable  additions  in  1899,  Miss 
Alice  Parker,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Crocker. 
Mr.  Crocker  was  an  experienced  worker,  having 
been  in  China  for  several  years  under  the 
Gospel  Mission  movement.  He  resigned  from 
this  work,  and  after  two  years  in  the  United  States 
offered  himself  to  the  Foreign  Mission  Board.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.   Crocker  located  at   Chinkiang.     When 


CENTRAL    CHINA    MISSION  1  I  I 

the  Boxer  uprising  drove  tlie  missionaries  from 
Chinkiang,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crocker  went  to  Fuku- 
oka,  Japan,  and  there,  on  September  15,  1900, 
Mrs.  Crocker  entered  into  rest. 

During  the  Bo.xer  troubles  the  missionaries  of 
the  Central  China  Mission  not  resident  in  Shang- 
hai had  to  leave  their  fields  temporarily,  but  none 
suffered  any  harm.  In  Shanghai  the  work  went 
on  with  slight  interruptions,  and  at  no  time  were 
the  missionaries  forbidden  to  preach  in  the  foreign 
concessions.  As  soon  as  quiet  was  restored,  the 
missionaries  returned  to  their  fields  to  find  the 
prospect  as  bright,  if  not  more  hopeful,  than  ever 
before.  The  field  occupied  by  the  Central  China 
Mission  has  been  marked  by  peculiar  difficulties  ; 
its  discouragements  have  been  great  and  its  har- 
vests long  delayed  ;  but  the  missionaries  hope  that 
the  time  of  awakening  has  come,  and  that  God 
will  manifest  his  power  in  the  midst  of  this  people. 


VI 

NORTH    CHINA    MISSION 

THE  Foreign  Mission  Board  and  the  missionaries 
at  Shanghai  had  been  anxiously  awaiting  the 
opening  of  north  China  to  foreigners  in  order  that 
they  might  enter  with  the  gospel.  In  anticipation 
of  this  event,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Holmes  had,  in 
1859,  been  appointed  to  the  Shantung  province, 
and  were  to  remain  in  Shanghai  until  it  should  be 
opened.  Mr.  Holmes  was  a  man  of  clear  and 
strong  intellect  and  independent  spirit.  His 
charm  of  person  and  manner  peculiarly  fitted  him 
for  work  among  the  Chinese,  to  whom  such  quali- 
ties are  very  attractive.  He  was  brought  up  in 
the  Methodist  faith,  but  in  studying  the  subject  of 
Christian  baptism  he  changed  his  views  and  united 
with  the  Baptist  church.  From  the  time  of  his 
acceptance  of  Christ,  he  had  been  impressed  by 
the  duty  of  going  to  China  as  a  missionary  and 
had  directed  his  studies  to  that  end.  Mrs.  Holmes 
came  of  an  earnest  missionary  family,  an  aunt  of 
hers  being  for  many  years  a  missionary  in  India. 
Her  mother  rejoiced  in  her  daughter's  purpose 
to  become  a  missionary. 
112 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  113 

Tungchow,  the  objective  point  of  the  mission- 
aries, was  at  that  time  a  city  of  about  a  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  situated  about  five 
hundred  miles  from  Shanghai.  No  foreign  trade 
was  allowed,  and  it  was  necessary  to  establish  a 
mission  or  some  agency  at  Chefoo,  a  treaty  port, 
so  that  the  mission  at  Tungchow  might  be  fur- 
nished with  necessary  supplies.  In  May,  1859, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holmes  went  to  Chefoo  with  the 
intention  of  settling  at  Tungchow,  but  they  were 
compelled  to  return  to  Shanghai  until  the  war 
between  China  and  the  French  and  English  was 
over.  When  peace  was  restored,  in  the  autumn 
of  i860,  Mr.  Holmes  went  to  Chefoo,  rented  and 
repaired  a  house,  and  returned  to  Shanghai  for  his 
family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartwell,  both  of  whom 
were  suffering  from  ill  health,  decided  to  return 
with  him,  hoping  to  find  a  more  favorable  climate. 
After  a  few  weeks  in  Chefoo,  Messrs.  Hartwell 
and  Holmes  went  on  a  tour  of  inspection  to  Tung- 
chow and  Hwanghien.  They  decided  that  Mr. 
Hartwell  should  remove  to  Tungchow  and  open 
a  station,  while  Mr.  Holmes  should  remain  in 
Chefoo.  Mr.  Hartwell  rented  a  vacant  pawn- 
broker's shop  for  a  residence,  but  found  it  impos- 
sible to  secure  a  place  for  public  services,  owing 
to  an  opposition  that  sprang  up.  Undeterred,  Mr. 
Hartwell  fitted  up  a  room  in  his  own  house. 
Though    opposed    by   the    literati,    the    common 


114     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

people  heard  him  gladly  and  the  work  opened  up 
encouragingly. 

In  the  autumn  o-f  1861,  the  country  around 
these  stations  was  desolated  by  hordes  of  rebel 
banditti.  They  menaced  the  city  of  Chefoo,  and 
in  October,  Mr.  Holmes,  in  company  with  Mr.  H. 
M.  Parker,  of  the  Episcopal  mission,  went  out  to 
the  rebel  camp,  some  twenty-five  miles  from  the 
city,  hoping  to  make  some  arrangements  for  their 
own  safety,  if  not  for  that  of  the  town.  They  did 
not  return,  and  after  eight  days  of  great  anxiety 
and  uncertainty  as  to  their  fate,  a  party  of  foreign- 
ers, who  had  gone  out  to  search  for  them,  found 
their  mutilated  bodies  and  brought  them  back. 
They  rest  on  the  green  island  at  the  entrance  to 
the  harbor  of  Chefoo.  Soon  after  their  arrival  in 
China,  Mr.  Holmes  said  to  his  wife  :  "If  I 
thought  I  should  die  and  leave  you  alone,  leave 
you  to  go  all  that  long  way  back  by  yourself,  I 
should  find  it  hard  to  say,  'Thy  will  be  done.'  " 
She  answered :  "  I  would  not  go  back  ;  I  would 
stay  here  and  work."  When  the  great  sorrow 
came  to  her,  she  was  unchanged  in  her  decision, 
preferring  to  live  and  work  among  those  for  whom 
her  husband  had  sacrificed  his  life. 

In  October,  1862,  the  North  Street  Baptist 
Church  was  organized  in  Tungchow  with  eight 
members,  including  the  Hartwells  and  Mrs. 
Holmes.     On   the    same   day  three    others  were 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  I  I  5 

received  and  baptized.  This  church  increased 
more  rapidly  at  first  than  those  in  the  southern 
ports,  and  when  Mr.  Hartvvell  left  for  Shanghai, 
early  in  1864,  there  were  eighteen  members.  The 
hard  times  incident  to  the  Civil  War  in  the  United 
States  began  to  affect  the  mission  soon  after  its 
establishment.  The  missionaries  endeavored  to 
support  themselves  and  carry  on  the  work,  and 
they  were  saved  from  actual  suffering  by  the  gen- 
erous aid  of  friends  in  Maryland  and  Kentucky. 
Dr.  G.  W.  Burton,  a  former  missionary  associate 
in  Shanghai,  made  large  contributions  to  the  mis- 
sion and  relieved  many  pressing  needs. 

Doctor  and  Mrs.  Crawford  came  to  Tungchow 
in  August,  1863,  to  take  charge  of  the  mission, 
while  Mr.  Hartwell  went  to  Shanghai  to  allow 
Doctor  Yates  a  much-needed  rest.  Writing  home 
about  this  time,  Doctor  Crawford  said  that  the 
work  went  on  in  all  departments  the  same  as  when 
the  Board  was  able  to  support  it,  except  that  no 
books  were  printed.  Mr.  Hartwell  remained  in 
Shanghai  two  years,  and  on  his  return,  in  1865, 
the  church  numbered  twenty-three  native  mem- 
bers. He  again  took  charge  of  the  mission,  and 
it  was  agreed  that  Doctor  Crawford  should  open 
an  independent  mission  in  another  part  of  the  city. 
Mr.  Hartwell's  return  rendered  it  necessary  for 
Doctor  Crawford  to  secure  a  home  for  himself. 
He  committed  the  purchase  to  his  teacher,  who 


Il6     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

bought  it  in  his  own  name  and  rented  it  to  Doctor 
Crawford,  as,  notwithstanding  treaty  rights,  this 
seemed  to  be  the  only  way  to  secure  it.  The  pur- 
chase awakened  the  dormant  antipathy  to  foreign- 
ers ;  placards  were  immediately  posted  in  different 
parts  of  the  city,  calling  on  the  people  to  rise  up 
and  prevent  the  foreigners  from  occupying  the 
house.  A  messenger  was  despatched  to  the  United 
States  consul  at  Chefoo,  who  came  promptly  and 
notified  the  mandarin  that  he  would  take  posses- 
sion of  the  property  the  next  day.  When  the  little 
company  of  foreigners  entered  the  house  early  the 
following  afternoon,  they  posted  a  notice,  with  the 
seal  of  the  United  States  attached,  and  hoisted  the 
American  flag.  The  determined  spirit  of  the 
United  States  consul  and  the  missionaries  to  main- 
tain their  treaty  rights  greatly  lessened  the  oppo- 
sition to  foreigners  acquiring  homes. 

The  house  thus  secured  by  Doctor  Crawford 
was  situated  in  one  of  the  highest,  neatest,  and 
most  populous  sections  of  the  city,  near  several 
temples  and  a  large  literary  hall,  all  places  of 
resort.  It  was  built  of  unhewn  stone  and  covered 
with  sedge  grass,  and  while  the  rooms  were  small, 
one  was  large  enough  for  a  chapel.  In  December, 
1866,  Doctor  Crawford  organized  the  Pai  Tong 
Baptist  church,  composed  of  eight  members,  four 
natives  and  four  foreigners.  One  of  the  first-fruits 
of   his   labors   was  a  deacon   in   the  Presbyterian 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  II/ 

church,  who  became  convinced  that  immersion  was 
the  command  of  Christ  and  wished  to  unite  with 
the  Baptist  church.  For  five  years  he  had  been 
a  consistent  Christian  and  the  Presbyterians  were 
loth  to  give  him  up.  Doctor  Crawford  felt  that 
the  field  was  encouraging,  the  people  superior  to 
those  in  the  great  Yangtse  plain,  more  hardy, 
manly,  and  straightforward,  and  with  habits  more 
favorable  to  the  propagation  of  the  gospel.  It  was 
his  opinion  that  the  leading  truths  of  Christianity 
had  more  thoroughly  permeated  the  masses  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  Shantung  province,  after  seven 
years  of  preaching  by  a  few  missionaries,  than  they 
had  the  people  in  the  vicinity  of  Shanghai  with  all 
the  labor  expended  there. 

In  the  spring  of  1867,  Mr.  Hartwell  succeeded, 
after  much  anxiety  and  effort,  in  renting  two 
rooms  in  a  most  desirable  locality  in  the  heart  of 
the  city  of  Hwanghien.  He  opened  a  promising 
station  in  charge  of  a  native  helper.  Mr.  Hartwell 
devoted  much  time  to  visiting  in  the  country, 
spending  three  days  in  every  ten  in  this  way,  and 
maintaining  services  at  three  outstations.  At 
Tungchow  he  held  preaching  services  on  Sundays 
and  three  nights  out  of  every  ten,  a  weekly  church 
prayer  meeting,  two  Bible  classes,  one  for  men 
and  one  for  women,  besides  the  daily  reading  and 
explaining  of  the  Scriptures  at  evening  worship, 
which  was  open  to  all  who  wished  to  attend. 


Il8     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Mrs.  Hartvvell  was  untiring  in  her  efforts  for  the 
women.  Her  class  was  very  well  attended,  and 
she  was  encouraged  by  the  interest  and  attention 
of  its  members.  She  visited  the  sick,  and  in  this 
way  reached  many  who  would  never  come  to  the 
chapel.  She  introduced  vaccination  among  the  chil- 
dren, and  when  she  could  obtain  vaccine  matter,  had 
no  lack  of  subjects.  Two  Chinese  women  were  con- 
verted and  baptized,  the  first-fruits  of  her  efforts. 
Mrs.  Holmes  and  Mrs.  Crawford  were  also  actively 
engaged  in  educational  work,  house  to  house  visit- 
ing, and  instructing  in  the  truths  of  the  Bible 
those  who  came  into  their  homes. 

Interest  in  Christianity  deepened  and  broadened 
in  the  Shantung  province  during  the  years  1868- 
1869.  There  were  frequent  and  noteworthy  con- 
versions. The  missionaries  rejoiced  in  the  power 
and  influence  of  the  native  Christians  as  they  dis- 
seminated knowledge  among  their  neighbors,  rela- 
tives, and  friends.  At  one  town  Mr.  Hartwell 
visited,  a  few  native  Christians  gathered  a  large 
congregation  of  earnest,  interested  listeners,  who 
came  for  three  nights,  and  maintained  as  good 
order  as  in  any  of  the  chapels  where  they  had  been 
trained  to  behave.  Mr.  Hartwell  said  one  would 
have  thought  he  was  preaching  to  a  congregation 
of  converts,  or  at  least  of  trained  church-goers,  in- 
stead of  to  a  crowd  that  had  never  seen  a  Chris- 
tian missionary.     The  work  also  assumed  a  new 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  II9 

feature,  as  the  people  from  a  distance  who  had  in 
some  way  heard  of  and  become  interested  in  the 
truth,  came  to  Tungchow  for  more  full  and  care- 
ful instruction.  These  inquirers,  both  men  and 
women,  came  from  distances  varying  from  fifteen 
to  seventy  miles,  and  remained  for  weeks,  and  even 
months,  to  attend  services  and  to  be  taught  the 
way  of  life  more  perfectly.  The  mission  furnished 
them  lodging  while  they  bore  the  rest  of  the  ex- 
pense. The  little  church,  under  Mr.  Hartwell's 
care,  began  to  put  forth  its  strength  in  direct  mis- 
sionary work.  The  members  decided  to  open  and 
furnish  a  chapel  at  Shang  Tswong,  and  it  was 
agreed  that  Mr.  Hartwell,  or  one  of  his  assistants, 
should  spend  at  least  one  Sabbath  in  each  month 
there.  On  the  other  Sabbaths  the  members  in  the 
neighborhood  met  for  singing,  reading,  and  prayer. 
In  the  winter  of  i86y-i868,  it  was  confidently 
asserted  that  at  the  new  year  all  the  missionaries 
were  to  be  murdered.  They  were  accused  of  kid- 
napping women  and  children  in  order  to  get  their 
eyes  and  hearts  for  medicinal  uses,  and  indeed, 
all  manner  of  atrocities  was  attributed  to  them. 
These  rumors  caused  no  special  uneasiness  until 
the  massacre  of  several  Roman  Catholic  missiona- 
ries at  Tien-tsin  created  the  impression  that  a 
general  uprising  against  foreigners  would  occur. 
Work  was  accordingly  suspended,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries, deeming  it  wise  to  seek  the  protection 


120     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

of  the  foreign  warships  in  Chefoo,  left  their  houses 
in  charge  of  trusty  servants  under  the  mandarin's 
protection.  During  his  stay  in  Chefoo,  Mr.  Hart- 
well  stopped  with  one  of  the  native  members, 
whom  he  had  baptized  ten  years  before,  that  he 
might  be  near  the  chapel  and  able  to  maintain 
regularly  some  extra  services.  This  chapel  had 
been  built  and  presented  to  the  church  by  his 
host,  who  was  a  poor  man  at  the  time  of  his  con- 
version, but  who  had  grown  very  rich,  and  seemed 
deeply  sensible  of  his  obligation  to  God  in  the  use 
of  his  money. 

The  most  noteworthy  advance  in  the  year  1870 
was  the  call  and  ordination  of  the  first  native  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  in  Shantung  province,  Woo 
Tswun  Chau.  This  brother  was  an  earnest,  relia- 
ble, intelligent,  and  well-informed  Christian,  and 
had  been  associated  with  Mr.  Hartwell  for  ten 
years.  The  mission  sustained  a  severe  loss  in  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Hartwell,  in  June,  1870.  Full  of 
determination,  courage,  earnestness,  faithfulness, 
and  discretion,  she  was  peculiarly  adapted  to  mis- 
sionary life,  and  left  the  impress  of  her  character 
on  her  pupils,  the  women  she  instructed,  the 
church,  and  multitudes  of  the  heathen.  Soon 
after  Mrs.  Hartwell's  death  her  husband  returned 
to  America  with  his  four  motherless  children, 
leaving  the  church  in  charge  of  pastor  Woo. 

Mrs.  Holmes   returned  to  Tungchow  in    1870, 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  121 

and  having  moved  into  a  new  and  convenient 
house,  opened  a  school  for  girls.  She  had  many 
visitors  among  the  women,  who  came  to  see  her 
and  her  new  house,  and  in  the  little  chapel,  which 
she  had  neatly  fitted  up  for  the  purpose,  she 
taught  them  the  way  of  life.  In  the  summer  of 
1872  the  mission  rejoiced  over  the  arrival  of  Miss 
Edmonia  Moon,  of  Virginia,  a  young  woman  of 
resolute,  independent  character,  and  strong,  well- 
trained  intellect,  who  bade  fair  to  be  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  missionary  force.  Doctor  Crawford 
wrote  home  :  "  Miss  Edmonia  Moon  promises  to 
be  a  real  missionary ;  only  send  out  another  of  the 
same  character  to  labor  with  her,"  little  knowing 
that  the  request  was  soon  to  be  answered  by  the 
application,  acceptance,  and  prompt  embarkation 
of  Miss  Lottie  Moon,  the  elder  sister  of  Miss  Ed- 
monia. Highly  educated,  and  accustomed  to 
teaching.  Miss  Lottie  was  well  fitted  for  the  work 
to  which  God  called  her.  She  was  converted 
while  attending  the  seminary  now  known  as  Rol- 
lins Institute,  and  was  baptized  by  Dr.  John  A, 
Broadus.  It  was  said  that  her  conversion  made  a 
marked  change  in  her.  Her  call  to  the  missionary 
life  was  no  uncertain  one.  At  a  ministers'  and 
deacons'  meeting  her  pastor.  Rev.  R.  B.  Headden, 
of  Cartersville,  Ga.,  proposed  that  special  prayer  be 
offered  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  he  would  send 
forth  more  laborers  into  his  field.      On  his  return 


122     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

home  he  preached  a  sermon  on  the  subject,  and 
this  sermon  reawakened  and  deepened  Miss  Moon's 
conviction,  already  strong,  to  go  in  person  to  the 
heathen,  and  she  soon  after  offered  herself  for  the 
work.  The  North  China  Mission  owes  much  to 
her  intelligent,  enterprising,  and  energetic  efforts. 

For  several  years  Doctor  Crawford  had  been 
urging  the  erection  of  a  church  building  in  Tung- 
chow,  and  earnestly  planning  for  it.  The  chapel 
was  finished  and  dedicated  in  1872,  and  was  pro- 
nounced by  natives  and  foreigners  a  beautiful 
structure.  The  name,  Shing  Whe  Tong,  signified 
Holy  Assembly  Hall.  The  church  numbered  fifty 
persons,  contributed  twenty  dollars  by  monthly 
collections,  and  rented  a  chapel  in  a  village  two 
miles  distant,  where  two  of  the  brethren  held  serv- 
ice each  Sabbath. 

In  the  summer  of  1872,  Doctor  Hartwell  re- 
turned to  China,  having  married,  while  in  the 
United  States,  Miss  Julia  Jewett,  of  Macon,  Ga., 
the  sister  of  his  former  wife.  He  found  that  pas- 
tor Woo  had  proved  equal  to  the  responsibility  im- 
posed upon  him,  and  had  managed  the  church  with 
a  great  deal  of  discretion  and  propriety.  Some  of 
the  members  seemed  to  think  that  Doctor  Hartwell 
would  at  once  assume  the  pastorate,  and  they 
would  be  relieved  of  the  necessity  of  sustaining  a 
pastor,  but  Mr.  Woo  met  this  feeling  with  spirit 
and  combated  it.     He  told  them  that  he  was  ready 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  123 

to  resign  the  charge,  but  that  he  would  never  be 
sustained  in  the  ministry  by  funds  drawn  from 
foreign  churches  ;  that  they  were  indebted  to  for- 
eigners for  the  introduction  of  Christianity,  for  the 
founding  of  this  church,  and  for  the  use  of  the 
building  in  which  they  worshiped,  but  they  had  no 
right  to  expect  nor  to  ask  foreigners  to  sustain  a 
pastor  for  them.  They  were  now  already  an  or- 
ganized church,  which  he  hoped  would  continue 
until  the  second  coming  of  Christ.  Instead  of 
their  being  dependent  upon  the  missionaries  the 
missionaries  ought  to  be  dependent  on  them. 

Convinced  of  the  many  advantages  of  Chefoo, 
the  port  of  entry  on  the  gulf  of  Pechili,  as  a  mis- 
sion station,  Doctor  Hartwell  removed  thither  in 
1873,  and  availed  himself  of  the  offer  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Brown,  of  the  English  Baptist  Missionary  So- 
ciety, to  use  the  chapel  connected  with  the  hos- 
pital he  had  just  opened  in  that  city.  Chefoo  was 
far  enough  from  Tungchow  to  establish  a  separate 
interest,  yet  near  enough  for  Doctor  Hartwell  to 
oversee  the  church  there,  and  was  not  distant  from 
the  outstations.  The  work  opened  encouragingly 
and  congregations  were  good.  The  population 
was  a  floating  one,  which  perhaps  in  part  accounted 
for  the  fact  that  few  professed  faith  in  Christ.  An 
additional  reason  for  Doctor  Hart  well's  removal 
was  the  ill  health  of  his  wife.  The  change  did  not 
benefit  her,  and  they  returned  to  America. 


124     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

Slowly  but  surely  the  work  progressed.  The 
gospel  was  preached  by  native  brethren  to  at  least 
two  hundred  and  fifty  different  villages,  which  con- 
tained from  a  hundred  to  a  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  tracts  and  portions  of  the  Scripture  were  dis- 
tributed. The  women  of  the  mission  visited  about 
two  hundred  villages  within  one  year,  distant  from 
one  to  twenty-five  miles.  The  little  band  was  not 
suffered  to  remain  long  unbroken,  for  Miss  Ed- 
monia  Moon's  health  failed  utterly  and  she  was 
compelled  to  leave  the  field  in  the  autumn  of  1876. 
Her  sister,  Miss  Lottie,  accompanied  her,  remained 
a  year,  then,  seeing  her  sister  much  improved,  re- 
turned to  Tungchow  in  December,  1877.  This 
was  a  time  of  seed  sowing,  the  church  steadily  in- 
creasing, though  in  the  midst  of  much  discour- 
agement. The  missionaries  were  received  in  the 
homes  in  a  more  friendly  spirit  than  in  former 
years,  but  the  wealthy  and  influential  men  of  Tung- 
chow resolutely  opposed  the  gospel  and  refused  to 
employ  any  who  attended  upon  a  Christian  church. 
There  were  few  converts  and  those  who  came 
seemed  much  influenced  by  the  surrounding  hos- 
tility. 

Early  in  1882  the  mission  rejoiced  over  the 
arrival  of  Messrs.  N.  W.  Halcomb  and  C.  W.  Pruitt. 
Both  of  these  young  men  were,  early  in  life,  in- 
spired by  the  desire  to  preach  the  gospel  and  this 
desire  deepened  into  longing  for   the   missionary 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  125 

life.  In  September,  Mr.  Pruitt  married  Miss  Ida 
R.  Tiffany,  who  had  been  sent  to  Chefoo  by  the 
Woman's  Missionary  Society  of  the  Northwest 
(Presbyterian).  A  fellow-worker  said  of  her  that 
she  was  a  real  missionary,  with  heart  thoroughly 
enlisted  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.  As  the  English 
language  was  in  such  growing  demand  in  China 
the  missionaries  were  determined  to  introduce  it 
in  the  curriculum  of  the  schools  for  boys  and  girls. 
This  would  enable  the  new  missionaries  to  begin 
work  at  once  and  it  was  hoped  that  in  time  the 
support  of  the  schools  could  thus  be  laid  on  the 
Chinese,  an  end  greatly  to  be  desired. 

In  January,  1884,  the  mission  welcomed  Miss 
Mattie  Roberts,  of  Kentucky,  who  came  out  sup- 
ported by  the  children  of  South  Carolina  as  a 
memorial  to  Mrs.  Mary  G.  Harley.  She  was 
known  as  the  Mary  Harley  missionary.  Mr.  Hal- 
comb  and  Miss  Roberts  were  married  in  July  and 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pruitt  decided  to  locate  in 
Hwanghien.  They  encountered  such  violent  op- 
position in  their  attempt  to  rent  a  suitable  dwell- 
ing that  they  were  compelled  to  abandon  the  plan 
for  a  time  and  remain  in  Tungchow.  Here  in 
October,  1884,  Mrs.  Pruitt  was  called  to  lay  down 
the  work  to  which  she  had  so  cheerfully  given  her 
life  and  for  which  she  had  unquestionably  proved 
her  ability.  "  The  same  God  who  had  called  her 
to  the  work  gave  her  an  early  discharge." 


126     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

The  year  1884,  according  to  Doctor  Crawford, 
was  distinguished  by  hard  trials,  hard  work,  and 
little  apparent  success.  The  prospect  of  war  with 
France  kept  the  minds  of  the  people  in  a  state  of 
continued  excitement.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
year  the  boarding  schools  were  given  up.  Doctor 
Crawford  believed  it  unwise  to  use  Board  money 
for  this  purpose,  and  indeed  in  any  way  by  which 
pecuniary  expectations  were  excited  in  the  minds 
of  the  Chinese.  The  North  Street  Church  had 
disbanded,  having  ceased  to  have  meetings  of  any 
kind.  In  May,  1885,  Mrs.  Halcomb  entered  into 
rest.  After  her  death,  Mr.  Halcomb,  finding  that 
he  differed  on  some  theological  questions  from  the 
body  which  sent  him  out,  tendered  his  resignation 
and  accepted  the  position  of  acting  United  States 
Consul  at  Chefoo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  E.  Davault  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  M.  Joiner  sailed  for  China  in  November,  1884. 
They  remained  in  Tungchow  until  they  were 
somewhat  familiar  with  the  language  and  then 
established  a  missionary  home  at  Hwanghien, 
and  opened  work  there,  making  gratifying  prog- 
ress. Only  a  brief  time  of  co-working  was  granted 
them.  In  1888  Mrs.  Joiner  was  compelled  by  ill 
health  to  return  to  America,  and  Mr.  Davault  was 
called  into  the  Master's  presence.  Mr.  Davault's 
last  letter  to  the  Board,  received  after  his  death, 
was  a  stirring  appeal  for  reinforcement,  and  ex- 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  12/ 

pressed  his  desire  to  live  and,  if  need  be,  to  die  for 
the  people  of  Hwanghien.  Mrs.  Davault  decided 
to  live  and  work  in  the  field  for  which  her  husband 
pleaded  so  earnestly  and  remained  in  Hwanghien 
with  Mr.  Pruitt,  who  had  married  Miss  Anna 
Seward,  of  the  Presbyterian  mission,  and  had 
taken  up  the  work  laid  down  by  Messrs.  Joiner 
and  Davault. 

Miss  Moon  spent  the  winter  of  1 885-1 886  in 
the  city  of  Pingtu,  which  has  since  become  such 
an  important  and  flourishing  station.  The  Pingtu 
region  is  a  broad  valley  dotted  over  with  thick 
clusters  of  villages  stretching  in  every  direction. 
This  region  is  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
from  Tungchow,  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  agricultural 
section,  and  is  more  than  sixty  miles  from  any 
point  occupied  by  missionaries.  This  field  had 
scarcely  been  touched  by  missionary  endeavor, 
and  it  was  a  large,  important,  and  promising  one. 
Miss  Moon  received  many  invitations  to  visit  in 
the  homes  and  gladly  availed  herself  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  tell  the  gospel  story  to  the  women  and 
girls. 

Mrs.  Crawford  continued  to  prosecute  her  work 
in  the  villages  and  towns,  and  being  anxious  to 
gain  access  to  the  women  in  the  cities  as  she  had 
in  the  country,  she  rented  a  room  in  the  Water 
City,  about  a  mile  from  her  home.  This  city  lies 
between  Tungchow  proper  and  the  sea,  has  a  wall 


128     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

of  its  own,  and  was  used  as  a  place  of  refuge  in 
the  period  of  piratical  warfare.  All  the  junks  lie 
within  its  walls  and  behind  ponderous  gates  are 
secure  from  native  attack  from  without.  This  ex- 
cited curiosity  and  many  called  to  learn  the  reason 
for  this  unusual  movement.  The  experiment 
proved  so  successful  that  she  was  induced  to  re- 
peat it  in  another  section  of  the  main  city  with 
even  more  satisfactory  results.  In  both  places 
many  old  acquaintances  whom  she  had  not  seen 
for  years  visited  her  and  invited  her  to  their  homes. 
In  her  visits  she  taught  the  women  and  girls  to 
read  Christian  books  and  endeavored  to  make  them 
realize  that  reading  was  within  the  reach  of  all. 

In  response  to  the  urgent  appeals  of  Doctor 
and  Mrs.  Crawford,  Miss  Moon,  and  their  associ- 
ates, a  large  missionary  force  was  sent  out  in  1889, 
consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  J.  League,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  G.  P.  Bostick,  Miss  Fannie  Knight,  and  Miss 
Laura  G.  Barton.  Miss  M.  J.  Thornton  followed  in 
1890.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  League  joined  the  Pruitts  and 
Mrs.  Davault  at  Hwanghien.  Mr.  Pruitt  said  of 
the  converts  at  Hwanghien  and  Saling  that  they 
more  nearly  realized  his  ideal  of  what  people  con- 
verted from  heathenism  ought  to  be  than  any  others 
he  had  seen.  They  had  so  much  genuine  broth- 
erly love,  which  was  rare  among  this  politic  people. 
Saling  was  the  home  of  some  very  faithful  Chris- 
tians, who  were  willing  to  suffer  persecution  for 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  1 29 

their  faith.  Among  these  was  a  man  who  refused 
to  worship  at  the  graves  of  his  ancestors  thus  in- 
curring the  displeasure  of  his  relatives,  several  hun- 
dred in  number.  Thirty  of  these  men  went  to  his 
house,  bound  his  hands  and  feet  together  behind 
him,  put  him  on  a  pole  with  his  face  downward, 
and  carried  him  about  a  mile  to  his  native  village, 
and  there  tried  to  make  him  worship  by  beating 
him  unmercifully.  He  did  not  succumb  to  their 
tortures  but  thanked  God  that  he  was  counted 
worthy  to  suffer  for  his  name.  In  the  midst  of 
these  persecutions  an  old  man  walked  to  Tung- 
chow,  more  than  a  hundred  miles,  and  asked  for 
baptism,  stating  that  the  way  in  which  Mr.  Dan 
bore  his  persecutions  convinced  him  of  the  reality 
of  Christianity. 

Miss  Knight  took  up  her  residence  in  Pingtu,  in 
response  to  Miss  Moon's  urgent  appeals  for  co- 
workers in  that  city,  and  was  soon  comfortably 
located  in  a  cozy  Chinese  home,  fitted  up  at  her 
own  expense.  Miss  Moon's  time  was  so  monopo- 
lized by  men  coming  in  from  the  country  and  desir- 
ing to  talk  with  her  that  all  aggressive  city  work 
was  necessarily  broken  up.  She  also  taught  such 
women  and  children  as  came  to  her  without  doing 
much  house-to-house  visiting.  The  men  around 
Pingtu  held  services  every  Sunday  at  Saling  and 
every  other  Sunday  at  Pingtu.  The  journey  from 
Tungchow  to  Pingtu  occupied  seven  days,  but  the 


130     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

missionaries  occasionally  visited  the  latter  city  and 
administered  the  ordinance  of  baptism. 

In  the  spring  of  1890  the  mission  lost  one  of  its 
most  promising  workers  by  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Bostick,  which  sad  event  was  caused  by  malignant 
smallpox,  and  occurred  while  her  husband  was 
absent  in  attendance  upon  the  Shanghai  Confer- 
ence. Her  gift  for  languages  enabled  her  to  ac- 
quire Chinese  with  unusual  facility,  her  teacher 
having  said  that  she  was  the  brightest  pupil  in 
Chinese  he  had  ever  seen.  Her  interest  in  mis- 
sions dated  from  her  earliest  years  and  her 
thoughts  were  always  turned  toward  China.  Her 
husband  found  a  ready  response  and  a  willing  co- 
worker when  he  announced  to  her  his  intention  of 
becoming  a  foreign  missionary.  Practical  common 
sense,  good  judgment,  and  devotion  admirably 
fitted  her  for  missionary  life. 

The  Tung  Lai  Association,  named  from  the  two 
districts  in  which  the  churches  composing  it  are 
located,  was  organized  in  1891.  Two  native 
brethren  were  present  from  each  of  the  four 
churches.  The  object  of  the  Association  was 
that  the  churches  might  be  united,  might  act 
together,  and  be  mutually  helpful.  It  had  no 
power  to  govern  the  local  churches,  but  if  they 
received  or  taught  doctrines  contrary  to  the  Scrip- 
tures or  hurtful  to  sister  churches,  the  body  had 
power  to   consider   and    adjust    such   differences. 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  I3I 

To-day  the  Association  is  on  the  same  basis  as 
those  in  this  country.  In  the  autumn  of  1891 
three  new  missionaries  were  welcomed  to  the 
North  China  Mission,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Sears, 
of  Missouri,  and  Mr.  W.  D.  King,  of  Georgia. 
The  former  located  in  Pingtu,  where  they  have 
since  resided  and  been  signally  blessed  in  their 
work. 

The  next  few  years  were  years  of  change  and 
trial.  Sometime  before,  in  1886,  Doctor  Craw- 
ford had  returned  to  America  to  induce  the 
American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  and  the  For- 
eign Mission  Board  to  adopt  certain  views  enter- 
tained by  him  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  mission 
work  on  foreign  fields.  The  Foreign  Mission 
Board  gave  him  a  patient  hearing,  but  did  not 
deem  it  wise  to  adopt  his  views  as  its  fixed  policy 
and  force  them  on  other  missionaries.  Finding 
himself  unable  to  carry  his  point,  Doctor  Crawford 
lost  sympathy  with  the  Board,  and  when  requested 
to  return  to  his  field  declined  to  do  so.  He  spent 
some  months  traveling  and  making  speeches,  which 
were  reported  as  being  derogatory  to  the  interests 
of  the  Board.  From  the  date  of  his  return  until 
1889  he  held  no  communication  with  the  Board, 
though  drawing  a  salary  from  its  treasury.  At 
that  time  he  wrote  a  letter,  partly  severing  his 
connection  with  the  Board,  declining  to  receive  a 
salary  any  longer,  but  saying  that  he  did  not  mean 


132     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

by  this  course  of  action  to  resign  or  sever  his  con- 
nection with  the  mission  or  the  Board,  but  only  to 
decline  future  service.  Influenced  by  this  clause 
in  his  letter  and  by  consideration  for  an  aged 
missionary,  who  had  long  worked  with  it,  and 
his  noble  wife,  his  name  was  retained  on  the  list 
of  missionaries.  About  the  time  he  wrote  this 
letter  he  came  to  America,  but  held  no  communi- 
cation with  the  Board  while  here.  Three  years 
later  Doctor  Crawford  published  a  tract  entitled, 
"Churches  to  the  Front,"  in  which  he  made 
charges  against  all  Boards  in  general,  and  espe- 
cially against  the  Missionary  Union  and  the  For- 
eign Mission  Boards.  This  rendered  it  necessary 
for  the  Board  to  sever  all  connection  with  him. 
Under  these  circumstances  Mrs.  Crawford  natu- 
rally felt  that  when  her  husband's  name  was 
dropped,  hers  should  also  be,  and  sent  in  her 
resignation,  which  the  Board  accepted  with  sincere 
regret. 

Doctor  Crawford's  views  had  gradually  perme- 
ated the  mission  and  gained  other  adherents,  and 
in  1892,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  League,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bos- 
tick  (Mr.  Bostick  having  married  Miss  Thornton), 
Miss  Knight,  and  Mr.  King  in  1893,  severed  their 
connection  with  the  Board  and  engaged  in  an 
independent  work,  uniting  themselves  together 
under  the  designation  of  the  "  Gospel  Mission." 
The  views   entertained   by   them   demanded   that 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  1 33 

missionaries  should  live  in  Chinese  style,  should 
constantly  itinerate  and  preach  the  gospel  far  and 
wide,  that  no  chapels  should  be  erected  nor  schools 
established,  and  no  native  helpers  of  any  kind 
employed.  The  Board  might  not  have  been  un- 
willing for  missionaries  to  try  this  proposed 
method,  though  it  did  not  consider  the  proposal 
promising,  as  its  policy  assumed  to  allow  the  mis- 
sionaries the  widest  liberty  as  to  methods  in  their 
respective  fields ;  but  the  Board  could  not  endorse 
the  rest  of  the  plan.  This  plan  required  that  the 
missionaries  be  supported  by  individual  churches, 
or  groups  of  churches,  entirely  independent  of  the 
Board,  which  should  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
money,  unless  to  transmit  it  without  cost,  and  to 
have  no  control  over  or  direction  of  the  mission- 
aries. The  ultimate  result  of  this  movement 
would  have  been  the  disintegration  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  and  the  destruction  of  all  or- 
ganized work  of  the  denomination.  The  retirement 
of  so  many  workers  from  the  North  China  Mission 
naturally  crippled  the  work  for  a  time,  but  the 
missionaries  who  adhered  to  the  Board  were  spared 
the  friction  of  differing  views  among  them  by  the 
removal  of  the  members  of  the  Gospel  Mission  to 
open  a  station  farther  west. 

In  the  autumn  of  1893  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peyton 
Stephens,  of  Missouri,  and  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Hart- 
well,  of  California,  were  welcomed  to  the  depleted 


134     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

ranks  of  the  mission.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephens 
located  in  Hwanghien  and  Doctor  Hart  well  re- 
turned to  his  old  church  and  mission  work  at 
Tungchow.  His  arrival  was  hailed  with  great  joy 
by  both  natives  and  missionaries.  Four  of  his 
flock  had  never  ceased  to  pray  for  his  return,  and 
after  nearly  twenty  years'  absence  his  memory 
was  still  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  his  people. 
It  was  his  pleasure,  soon  after  his  return,  to  attend 
the  meeting  of  the  Tung  Lai  Association,  held 
with  the  Shang  Tswong  Church,  which  was  really 
the  North  Street  Baptist  Church  of  Tungchow, 
though  removed  about  seventy  miles  from  its 
original  home.  This  church  had  been  organized 
by  Doctor  Hartwell,  in  1862,  and  was  the  first 
Protestant  church  ever  organized  in  the  Shantung 
province,  or  anywhere  north  of  Shanghai.  Of  the 
ten  or  twelve  Christians  whom  he  left  there  twenty 
years  before,  only  two  remained,  the  others  having 
passed  to  their  reward.  Doctor  Hartwell  was 
greatly  pleased  with  the  spirit  of  the  Association 
and  the  influence  exerted  upon  the  hearts  of  the 
delegates  and  visitors. 

Early  in  1894  the  mission  was  again  called  upon 
to  rejoice  over  a  most  welcome  addition  and  the 
answer  to  many  appeals,  in  the  appointment  of 
Dr.  H.  A.  Randle,  of  Chefoo.  Doctor  Randle 
had  been  on  the  field  fourteen  years,  in  the  service 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and  was  thoroughly 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  I35 

equipped  as  a  preacher  and  physician.  He  was 
highly  recommended  by  the  missionaries  on  the 
field  and  more  than  justified  the  hopes  which  his 
coming  awakened.  Mr.  Sears,  who  had  come  to 
know  him  intimately  and  had  urged  his  appoint- 
ment, welcomed  him  as  a  co-worker  at  Pingtu. 
Other  signs  of  progress  in  the  mission  was  the 
establishment  of  two  schools,  one  in  Mrs.  Pruitt's 
charge  for  the  sons  and  one  in  Mrs.  Hartwell's 
care  for  the  daughters  of  the  Baptist  Christians. 
Both  were  conducted  on  strictly  economical  prin- 
ciples and  with  constant  regard  to  the  highest 
interests  of  the  pupils,  physical,  intellectual,  and 
moral.  At  Hwanghien  the  Pruitts  were  encouraged 
by  the  first  baptisms  in  connection  with  the  church 
since  its  foundation,  more  than  six  years  before. 
The  year  was  one  of  continual  rejoicing  in  the 
Pingtu  work.  Through  the  untiring  efforts  of  the 
native  Christians,  aided  by  the  missionaries,  a  neat 
little  chapel,  seating  one  hundred,  was  completed 
and  dedicated  at  Saling  without  one  cent  of  ex- 
pense to  the  Board.  It  was  said  by  experienced 
masons  that  this  church  would  be  a  good  building 
when  a  hundred  years  had  passed  away. 

The  year  1895  opened  amid  the  excitement  and 
confusion  of  the  Chinese-Japanese  war.  The  mis- 
sionaries were  exposed  to  constant  danger,  not 
from  the  people  or  the  Japanese,  but  from  disor- 
ganized bands  of  soldiers.      Some  of  them,  at  the 


136     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

summons  of  the  United  States  consul,  sought 
refuge  in  Chefoo.  Tungchow  was  bombarded,  a 
shell  striking  Miss  Moon's  house  and  carrying  off 
part  of  the  piazza.  Business  was  at  a  standstill, 
and  panic  and  dismay  were  on  every  side.  At  the 
street  corners  knots  of  gloomy  men  discussed  the 
wild  rumors  afloat  everywhere,  and  held  themselvs 
in  readiness  to  fly  at  a  moment's  warning.  Miss 
Moon,  returning  from  a  trip  into  the  interior,  was 
met  by  hundreds  of  fugitives  fleeing  from  the  city 
after  the  first  bombardment.  Her  first  impulse 
was  to  return  to  Hwanghien,  but  finding  the  ex- 
pense very  great,  she  decided  to  remain  in  Tung- 
chow, and  did  not  regret  her  decision.  In  those 
days  of  gloom  and  intense  excitement,  the  pres- 
ence of  the  missionaries  gave  the  people  a  sense 
of  security,  as  they  felt  that  they  were  informed, 
and  would  leave  if  there  were  any  real  danger. 
After  a  brief  stay  in  Chefoo,  Doctor  Hartwell  re- 
turned to  Tungchow,  thinking  this  a  golden  op- 
portunity to  reach  the  people.  For  four  months 
the  church  bell  rang  out  its  daily  invitation,  and 
Doctor  Hartwell  preached  with  unusual  earnest- 
ness, fervor,  and  spiritual  power.  Such  a  time  of 
seed-sowing  had  never  before  occurred  in  Tung- 
chow, and  the  result  of  the  war  was  to  bring  the 
people  and  the  missionaries  into  closer  sympathy. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pruitt  decided  to  remain  at  their 
post,  as  their  presence  strengthened  the  people, 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  1 37 

and  as  their  home  was  crowded  with  Christian 
refugees.  They  were  shielded  from  all  harm,  and 
were  rewarded  by  seeing  the  work  go  forward  and 
a  marked  growth  among  the  native  Christians. 
While  taking  refuge  in  Cheefoo,  Doctor  Randle 
spent  several  months  in  the  Red  Cross  work,  and 
was  met  by  marked  appreciation  and  gratitude 
from  most  of  the  wounded  soldiers.  Gain  and 
loss  were  equally  balanced  in  the  North  China 
Mission  this  year.  Miss  Barton  returned  home 
for  a  vacation,  and  while  there  married  Mr.  Z.  C. 
Taylor,  of  Brazil,  and  exchanged  her  field  of  useful- 
ness, remaining  still  in  the  service  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board.  A  visit  to  her  father  at  Tungchow 
so  impressed  Miss  Anna  Hartwell  with  its  deplora- 
able  need  of  workers  that  she  requested  to  be 
transferred  to  that  place  from  Canton.  Her  re- 
quest was  granted,  and  after  a  few  weeks  of  study 
she  was  able  to  begin  regular  visiting  among  the 
women.  Two  day  schools  were  opened,  supported 
without  expense  to  the  mission  and  taught  by  Chi- 
nese Christian  women. 

Schools  in  the  North  China  Mission  have  been 
well  conducted  and  at  slight  expense.  In  several 
instances  the  Christians  have  organized  schools 
themselves  to  which  missionaries  have  lent  their 
aid  and  encouragement.  The  boys  who  have 
studied  English  are  in  great  demand  in  the  postal 
service  recently  so  widely  extended  in  China.     The 


138     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

spirit  of  self-help  seems  to  be  generally  diffused 
among  the  Christians  in  North  China,  and  nearly 
every  church-member  is  a  preacher  after  a  fashion. 
In  the  spring  of  1894  Mr.  Sears  opened  work  in  a 
village  near  Pingtu  City,  and  in  the  autumn  six 
were  baptized.  They  proved  to  be  very  zealous 
workers,  and  each  one  became  a  preacher  in  his 
own  house.  The  little  leaven  spread,  and  when, 
two  months  later,  a  church  was  organized,  it  was 
composed  almost  entirely  of  relatives  of  the  origi- 
nal six.  The  year  1898  was  the  best  in  the  history 
of  the  North  China  Mission,  notwithstanding  the 
anti-foreign  effects  of  the  German  invasion  and 
the  virtual  deposition  of  the  emperor  by  the  em- 
press dowager.  There  were  a  hundred  and  two 
baptisms,  more  than  ever  before  in  any  one  year, 
of  which  number  Mr.  Sears  reported  eighty-two. 
In  the  Pingtu  district  there  were  baptisms  in 
thirty-four  villages,  in  sixteen  of  which  there  had 
never  been  Christians.  Thus  many  new  centers 
of  influence  were  opened.  A  great  deal  of  volun- 
tary work  was  done  in  this  district,  and  there  was 
not  the  least  discord  among  the  native  Christians, 
the  members  of  one  church  working  for  and  with 
members  of  other  churches  as  though  they  were 
all  one.  Mr.  Sears  attributed  the  year's  increase 
to  two  things,  unity  and  work.  In  the  midst  of 
their  rejoicing,  the  missionaries  were  grieved  to 
lose  Doctor  and  Mrs.   Randle,  both  of  whom  re- 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  139 

signed  on  account  of  a  change  in  their  doctrinal 
views.  They  had  done  good  and  efficient  work, 
and  their  labors  had  proven  an  ever-increasing 
blessing,  not  only  to  the  heathen,  but  to  the  mis- 
sionaries. 

After  several  months  alone  at  Pintgu,  Mr.  Sears 
welcomed  as  a  co-worker  a  friend  and  college  mate, 
Mr.  J.  W.  Lowe,  of  Missouri,  who  added  to  a  thor- 
ough theological  training  some  knowledge  of  medi- 
cine. Another  cause  for  rejoicing  was  given  the 
missionaries  at  Pingtu  in  the  answer  to  many 
prayers  that  God  would  raise  up  a  native  pastor 
and  inspire  the  church  to  call  and  support  him. 
As  Mr.  Sears  expected  to  take  a  furlough  in  the 
spring  of  1900,  and  as  he  was  pastor  of  the  four 
churches  in  the  Pingtu  district,  it  became  advisable 
to  select  some  one  to  take  his  place.  Mr.  Li,  who 
had  been  Mr.  Sears'  personal  teacher  ever  since  he 
had  been  in  China,  and  who  had  been  a  Christian 
since  1890,  felt  called  to  the  ministry.  He  was  a 
man  of  ability,  and  was  loved  and  honored  by  all. 
Mr.  Sears  believed  him  called  of  God,  and  thought 
that  much  of  the  success  of  the  Pingtu  work  was 
due  to  his  efforts.  Delegates  from  the  four 
churches  met  in  Pingtu,  and  after  free  discussion, 
decided  to  recommend  Mr.  Li  to  the  churches. 
His  ordination  took  place  in  the  fall  during  the 
meeting  of  the  Association  at  Saling.  This  was 
the  tenth  anniversary  of  the  Saling  church,  and  it 


140     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

was  an  occasion  for  great  rejoicing  that  the  ten 
years  closed  with  a  native  pastor  supported  by  the 
churches. 

Within  the  next  few  months  several  new  mis- 
sionaries were  welcomed  to  North  China.  In  No- 
vember, 1899,  R^v-  J-  C.  Owen,  of  North  Carolina, 
arrived  at  Tungchow,  and  in  the  spring  of  1900, 
by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Rebecca  Miller,  of  the 
Presbyterian  mission,  who  soon  became  a  Baptist, 
added  another  valuable  worker  to  the  Baptist  force. 
Miss  Miller  had  been  in  China  seven  years,  and 
was  highly  esteemed  by  her  fellow-missionaries. 
Miss  Mattie  Button,  of  Missouri,  joined  the  mis- 
sion at  Tungchow  early  in  1900,  and  a  few  months 
later  Miss  Thomjjson,  of  Kentucky,  returned  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephens  to  Hwanghien. 

With  largely  increased  forces  an  era  of  aggres- 
sive and  successful  work  seemed  to  open  before 
the  mission,  but  the  terrible  Boxer  uprising,  ap- 
parently encouraged  by  the  imperial  government, 
threw  the  whole  province  of  Shantung  into  confu- 
sion and  consternation.  The  Pruitts  and  Stephens 
remained  at  Hwanghien  as  long  as  they  could  se- 
cure provisions,  but  when  the  Chinese  refused  to 
accept  checks  they  were  forced  to  take  refuge  in 
Chefoo.  The  missionaries  at  Tungchow  also  took 
refuge  in  Chefoo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowe  were  ad- 
vised to  leave  Pingtu  quietly  and  promptly,  and 
escaped  to  the  German  port  of  Tsingtau  only  two 


NORTH    CHINA    MISSION  14! 

days  before  the  Boxers  reached  Pingtu.  A  band 
of  three  hundred  Boxers  attacked  the  mission 
Sunday  afternoon,  July  i.  Doors  and  windows 
were  broken  in,  and  nothing  was  left  that  could 
be  carried  away.  The  native  Christians  suffered 
severely ;  thirteen  of  the  church-members  were 
caught  and  dragged  to  the  Yamen,  their  queues 
being  tied  to  the  tails  of  their  enemies'  horses. 
The  women  and  children  fled  to  other  villages  to 
escape  the  knives  of  these  bloodthirsty  robbers 
and  murderers.  A  few  days  later  Mr.  Li  came 
down  to  Tsingtau  to  report  the  destruction  of 
property  and  the  persecution  being  endured.  Mr. 
Lowe  tried  to  persuade  him  not  to  return,  saying 
his  life  was  too  valuable  to  mission  work  in  China 
to  take  the  risk  ;  but  he  replied  that  he  had  en- 
joyed living  and  working  with  his  people,  and,  if 
need  be,  he  was  willing  to  die  with  them. 

Though  persecution  was  so  severe  very  few  re- 
canted, and  of  these,  some  said  they  recanted  with 
their  lips  and  not  with  their  hearts.  So  far  as 
is  known,  only  one  of  the  Christians  died  from 
persecution.  This  was  an  evangelist,  who  on  his 
way  home,  stopped  over  night  and  in  the  course 
of  conversation  mentioned  his  calling.  When  he 
started  on  his  journey  next  morning  he  was  fol- 
lowed and  taken  back  to  the  town  where  his  trav- 
eling bag  was  searched.  As  he  was  somewhat  of 
a  doctor,  several  kinds  of  pills,  some  santonine,  and 


142     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

some  eye  medicine  were  found,  and  these  were  de- 
clared to  be  foreign  medicine  for  poisoning  wells 
and  for  other  nefarious  ends.  The  man's  hands  were 
tied  behind  him  and  he  was  hung  up  by  them  while 
a  heavy  stone  was  tied  to  his  feet  to  increase  his 
suffering.    He  died  from  the  effects  of  his  tortures. 

The  unsettled  state  of  China  is  at  this  writing 
(1901)  a  serious  hindrance  to  mission  work,  yet 
the  missionaries  do  not  feel  discouraged,  but  be- 
lieve that  God  in  his  providence  is  opening  the 
way  for  far  greater  triumphs  of  the  gospel.  They 
are  returning  to  their  fields  and  new  missionaries 
are  being  appointed.  In  October,  1900,  Dr.  T.  W, 
Ayers  and  Mrs.  Ayers  received  their  appointment 
to  Hvvanghien,  for  which  station  the  Board  had 
long  been  seeking  a  missionary  physician.  Doc- 
tor Ayers  is  a  Georgian  and  goes  out  supported 
by  the  Baptist  women  of  that  State. 

Change  and  trial  have  not  been  without  benefi- 
cent result  in  the  North  China  Mission.  Amid 
uncertainties  and  discouragements  the  missionaries 
continue  to  work  with  unfaltering  faith.  The  dawn 
of  a  brighter  day  seems  at  hand,  3^et  the  laborers 
are  few  in  the  whitening  harvest  and  their  plea  is  : 
"  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that 
he  will  send  forth  labourers  into  his  harvest." 


VII 

THE    MISSION    IN    LIBERIA 

LIBERIA  was  settled  by  emancipated  slaves 
and  free  Negroes  from  America  under  the 
auspices  of  colonization  societies  organized  in  the 
United  States.  The  first  colonists,  eighty-nine  in 
number,  embarked  from  New  York,  January  21, 
1820.  Cape  Mesurado  was  purchased  December 
15,  1 82 1,  and  here  was  begun  the  germ  of  the 
Liberian  Republic.  For  a  time  the  government 
was  administered  by  officers  appointed  by  the  so- 
ciety, but  on  August  24,  1847,  by  the  advice  of  the 
society,  the  colony  proclaimed  its  independence. 
The  Republic  of  Liberia,  with  a  constitution  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  the  United  States,  was  organized 
early  in  the  year  1848. 

Missionary  operations  followed  closely  upon 
the  settlement  of  the  colonists.  Deacon  William 
Crane,  who  was  teaching  a  tri-weekly  night  school 
for  the  benefit  of  the  many  colored  Baptists  be- 
longing to  the  First  Church  of  Richmond,  assisted 
in  organizing  the  Richmond  Baptist  Missionary 
Society,  in  181  5.  This  society  was  organized  with 
a  view  solely  to  missions  in  Africa,  but  was  auxil- 

143 


144     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

iary  to  the  Triennial  Convention.  Lott  Carey  and 
Colin  Teague  were  sent  as  missionaries  to  Liberia, 
in  1 82 1.  This  was  the  beginning  of  American 
Baptist  Missions  in  Africa.  Carey  and  Teague 
with  a  number  of  colonists  arrived  in  Monrovia  in 
1822.  A  church  was  formed  in  1823,  and  six 
were  baptized.  A  year  later  nine  were  added  by 
baptism  and  a  house  of  worship  was  erected. 
Carey,  who  was  a  man  of  unusual  intelligence  and 
energy,  became  its  pastor.  In  1825  he  was  ap- 
pointed vice-agent  of  the  colony  and  soon  after 
vice-governor.  At  his  death  the  church  numbered 
one  hundred  members.  Other  missionaries  entered 
the  field.  Schools  were  established,  books  trans- 
lated and  prepared,  the  morals  and  manners  of  the 
people  greatly  improved,  the  interests  of  civiliza- 
tion were  promoted,  and  many  of  the  natives  ac- 
cepted the  gospel. 

As  soon  as  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  de- 
cided to  enter  Liberia,  correspondence  was  opened 
with  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  in 
regard  to  a  transfer  of  the  mission  to  the  Conven- 
tion, but  it  was  not  effected  until  1856.  The  For- 
eign Mission  Board,  however,  determined  to  enter 
at  once  upon  work  in  the  colony,  and  in  1846  ap- 
pointed Rev.  A.  L.  Jones,  a  young  and  talented 
minister  then  residing  at  Cape  Palmas,  and  Rev. 
John  Day,  who  had  been  for  several  years  in  the 
employ  of  the  Missionary  Union,  as  missionaries 


THE    MISSION    IN    LIBERIA  I45 

to  Liberia.  Mr.  Jones  died  before  the  news  of  his 
appointment  reached  him.  Mr.  Day  took  charge 
of  the  church  at  Bexley,  which  under  his  care  en- 
joyed uninterrupted  and  increasing  prosperity  un- 
til 1854.  He  was  everywhere  cordially  received 
by  the  natives,  and  was  encouraged  by  the  atten- 
tion they  gave  the  word  and  their  apparent  desire 
for  instruction.  He  organized  a  manual  labor 
school  at  Bexley,  which  almost  supported  its  board- 
ing department.  Many  of  the  boys  were  the  sons 
of  head  men  and  petty  kings.  The  religious  in- 
struction they  received  manifested  itself  in  their 
good  behavior. 

In  1849  every  settlement  in  the  colony  had  a 
church,  and  in  every  village  there  was  an  interest- 
ing Sunday-school  ;  in  these  schools  about  four 
hundred  colonists  and  two  hundred  natives  were 
taught,  while  to  more  than  ten  thousand  natives 
the  word  of  God  was  preached  regularly.  The 
field  was  an  inviting  one.  Opportunities  for  ex- 
erting an  influence  among  the  surrounding  tribes 
were  constantly  increasing ;  natives  were  calling 
for  the  God  man  to  bring  his  books  and  teach 
them ;  and  fields  were  open  for  a  hundred  miles 
into  the  interior.  All  the  stations  were  occupied 
by  colored  persons,  who  proved  a  blessing  not  only 
to  the  natives  but  to  the  numbers  of  free  colored 
emigrants  who  were  constantly  coming  into  the 
country.     A  civilizing  influence  was  thus  exerted 

K 


146     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

over  the  natives,  and  some  of  the  blessings  of  the 
Christian  rehgion  were  brought  to  them. 

The  Board  accepted  the  proposition  of  Rev.  Eli 
Ball  to  visit  the  stations  on  the  coast  of  Africa 
and  look  into  the  work,  secure  definite  information, 
and  learn  the  best  way  of  conducting  operations. 
Mr.  Ball  sailed  in  December,  185 1.  His  impres- 
sion of  most  of  the  missionaries  and  stations  was 
favorable  and  he  reported  to  the  Board  that  the 
missionaries,  though  none  of  them  had  received 
the  advantage  of  thorough  mental  training,  were 
in  advance  of  the  people  in  piety,  talents,  and 
knowledge,  and  advised  that  they  be  retained. 
The  schools,  though  susceptible  of  great  improve- 
ment, were  doing  much  good,  and  in  a  survey  of 
the  whole  field,  he  found  much  to  encourage.  The 
effect  of  his  visit  was  so  beneficial  that  he  was  ap- 
pointed for  the  same  mission  in  1853,  but  while 
he  was  preparing  for  the  journey  God  called  him 
into  rest. 

At  the  request  of  the  Board,  in  February,  1854, 
John  Day  removed  to  Monrovia  to  establish  and 
take  charge  of  a  high  school  to  be  known  as 
"Day's  Hope."  This  school  absorbed  all  the 
energies  of  his  later  life.  He  wished  to  make  it  a 
college  where  young  men  could  be  thoroughly 
trained  in  every  department  of  knowledge,  for  he 
said  that  the  sagacious  questions  often  propounded 
by  the  heathen  and  the  difficulties  raised  by  the 


THE    MISSION    IN    LIBERIA  1 47 

Mohammedans  were  undoubted  proof  that  the 
misionary  needed  a  well-furnished  mind.  His 
death,  in  1859,  was  a  serious  loss,  as  in  addition 
to  his  school  work  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
missions  of  Liberia  and  Sierra  Leone.  From  the 
representations  of  Mr.  Bowen  and  other  mission- 
aries, the  Board,  in  1855,  decided  to  establish  a 
mission  in  Sierra  Leone,  which  was  said  to  be  one 
of  the  most  interesting  fields  on  the  African  coast. 
Here  were  gathered  recaptured  slaves  from  almost 
all  parts  of  the  coast  and  the  interior.  Christian- 
ized, it  was  hoped  they  might  become  a  great 
evangelizing  agency  to  the  tribes  from  which  they 
came.  The  mission  was  opened  with  prospect  of 
large  success. 

Inalienably  associated  with  the  Liberian  mission 
are  the  names  of  Frederick  S.  James,  John  H. 
Cheeseman,  A.  P.  Davis,  B.  J.  Drayton,  J.  T.  Rich- 
ardson, Joseph  Harden,  and  B.  P.  Yates.  The  last 
named  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  men  ever 
connected  with  the  work  in  Liberia.  He  was 
neither  a  preacher  nor  a  teacher,  but  exercised  a 
fraternal  oversight  of  the  mission,  especially  in 
times  of  need,  and  managed  its  finances  for  over 
twenty  years.  He  succeeded  Rev.  John  Day  as 
superintendent  of  the  Liberian  mission.  The  re- 
port presented  to  the  Convention  of  1861  gave 
twenty-four  churches  and  stations  connected  with 
the  missions  of  Liberia  and  Sierra  Leone,  eighteen 


148     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

pastors,  and  a  total  membership  of  twelve  hundred 
and  fifty-eight.  From  time  to  time  the  Board 
urged  upon  the  native  churches  the  necessity  of 
developing  their  own  resources.  These  efforts,  to 
some  extent,  proved  successful,  and  the  churches 
endeavored  to  contribute  toward  the  support  of 
their  pastors  and  to  aid  the  Board  in  other  ways. 
The  effort  came  none  too  soon,  for  in  1S61  the 
Board  felt  compelled  to  retrench  and  therefore 
dismissed  nearly  all  the  teachers  in  the  mission. 

During  the  next  few  years,  owing  to  the  Civil 
War  in  America,  all  help  was  withdrawn  and  the 
native  churches  were  thrown  entirely  on  their  own 
resources.  Until  the  war  was  over  but  little  in- 
formation was  received  from  the  mission.  The 
Board  learned,  through  letters  from  Mr.  Yates, 
that  the  churches  were  alive  in  spiritual  matters 
and  a  number  of  converts  had  been  brought  in, 
the  majority  being  of  the  Congo  tribe.  All  the 
missionaries  remained  at  their  posts.  The  schools, 
except  those  taught  by  the  pastors  of  the  churches 
to  which  they  belonged  and  two  native  schools, 
were  discontinued.  Thus,  notwithstanding  trial 
and  discouragement,  the  mission  passed  through 
this  crisis  without  serious  loss.  When  the  war 
was  over,  appeals  came  from  Africa  imploring  aid. 
The  Board  was  not  indifferent  to  these  appeals, 
but  seriously  considered  how  far  the  appropriations 
to  the  African  coast  missions  should  be  renewed. 


THE    MISSION    IN    LIBERIA  I49 

The  work  had  been  less  expensive  and,  in  the 
number  of  accessions,  more  remunerative  than 
any  other.  More  than  a  thousand  believers  had 
been  baptized  since  the  organization  of  the  Con- 
vention, and  people  and  pastors  had  showed  com- 
mendable zeal  in  maintaining  their  churches  in  the 
absence  of  aid  from  the  United  States.  The  con- 
dition of  the  treasury,  however,  forbade  any  attempt 
to  resume  work  for  several  years. 

Many  considerations  moved  the  Board  to  such 
resumption  in  1871.  Their  past  efforts  had  been 
attended  with  gratifying  success.  Many  of  their 
contributors  had  a  special  interest  in  this  mission. 
Funds  had  been  received  from  Negro  brethren  in 
the  South  for  this  object,  and  large  portions  of 
Africa  were  yet  untouched  by  the  gospel ;  more- 
over. Southern  Baptists  had  always  felt  a  peculiar 
interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Negro  race. 
It  was  thought  too,  that  the  African  mission  should 
be  carried  on  mainly  through  the  agency  of  colored 
Baptists,  thousands  of  whom  in  Southern  territory 
offered  a  strong  argument  against  relinquishing 
this  mission.  It  was  also  hoped  that  an  influence 
for  good  might  be  exerted  on  the  Negro  churches 
by  developing  the  missionary  spirit  and  that  they 
might  contribute  to  the  diffusion  of  light  in  that 
dark  land.  With  a  view  to  permanent  results,  it 
was  deemed  advisable  to  secure  a  base  of  opera- 
tions somewhere  on  the  Liberian  coast,  where  a 


150     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.     CONVENTION 

settled  government  existed  and  the  missionaries 
would  be  protected. 

Rev,  A.  D.  Phillips  was  commissioned,  in  1871, 
to  visit  the  coast  and  explore  the  interior,  with  a 
view  to  establishing  mission  stations  among  con- 
tiguous tribes.  Two  hundred  thousand  natives 
were  resident  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Libe- 
rian  government  and  several  points  offered  favor- 
able centers  of  influence  from  which  to  operate. 
Mr.  Phillips  found  the  churches  maintaining  the 
truth  committed  to  them,  but  needing  assistance. 
He  journeyed  about  ninety  miles  into  the  interior 
to  the  Beir  country,  inhabited  by  a  savage  race. 
The  king,  Zeo,  received  him  with  gracious  hospi- 
tality. His  influence  extended  over  all  the  sur- 
rounding Bassa  tribes,  numbering  about  two  hun- 
dred thousand,  speaking  the  same  language.  Some 
of  the  people  were  very  anxious  to  have  mission- 
aries sent  to  them.  Mr.  Phillips  entered  into  a 
written  treaty  with  the  king,  who  bound  himself 
to  protect  missionaries  and  teachers,  Mr.  Phillips 
agreeing  that  only  those  should  be  sent  who  would 
devote  themselves  exclusively  to  preaching  and 
teaching.  He  appointed  eight  men  to  labor  among 
the  natives,  subject  to  the  appointment  of  the 
Board,  and  returned  to  America. 

The  missionaries  at  Zeo's  Town,  in  the  Beir 
country,  were  much  encouraged  by  a  growing 
reverence  for  the  gospel,  respect  for  the  Sabbath, 


THE   MISSION    IN    LIBERIA  I5I 

and  a  regular  attendance  upon  the  services  that 
were  held.  An  interest  seemed  to  be  awakening, 
but  intestine  troubles  arose  and  the  missionaries 
were  warned  to  leave  the  country.  As  it  was  not 
the  intention  of  the  Board  to  sustain  missions  in 
Liberia,  except  as  posts  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the 
interior,  this  news,  coupled  with  the  cramped  con- 
dition of  the  treasury,  led  to  its  withdrawing  sup- 
port from  all  the  missionaries  and  teachers,  except 
Yates  and  Cheeseman,  until  a  suitable  white  mis- 
sionary could  be  found  and  the  necessary  funds 
raised.  The  missionaries  and  teachers  were  greatly 
distressed  and  their  appeals  to  the  Board  were 
most  touching,  but  with  one  accord,  and  without 
communication  with  each  other,  they  resolved  to 
go  on  with  the  work  and  trust  in  God  to  sustain 
them.  The  Board,  not  unmoved  by  their  distress, 
made  an  appropriation  to  meet  their  pressing 
needs. 

Mr.  Yates  made  a  stirring  appeal  to  the  Baptists 
of  America  to  awake  to  the  responsibility.  He 
said  they  were  historically  the  pioneers  of  mission 
work  in  that  part  of  Africa.  From  the  first  church 
established  in  Liberia,  the  Providence  Baptist 
Church  of  Monrovia,  twenty  churches  had  origi- 
nated and  the  Providence  Baptist  Association.  It 
was  apparent  that  the  work  must  be  done  by  the 
Negroes,  who  were  one  with  the  benighted  tribes 
whom   they  were  to   uplift.     The  efforts  of  the 


152     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

white  man,  though  devoted  and  self-sacrificing, 
had  been  a  series  of  disasters  and  deaths.  Two 
theological  students  from  the  Richmond  Institute 
applied  to  the  Board  for  appointment  in  response 
to  this  appeal.  One  of  these.  Rev.  W.  W.  Colley, 
accompanied  Mr.  David  when  he  sailed  for  Africa 
in  1875.  Mr.  David  was  instructed,  if  there  was 
no  prospect  of  entering  the  Yoruba  country,  to 
make  another  attempt  in  the  Beir  territory,  east 
of  Liberia,  from  which  the  missionaries  had  been 
driven  in  1872.  Learning  that  the  Yoruba  country 
was  open  to  the  gospel,  Mr.  David  journeyed  there, 
and  satisfying  himself  that  the  prospect  of  reo- 
pening the  mission  was  inviting,  returned  to  Mon- 
rovia, settled  all  accounts,  and  closed  the  Liberian 
mission. 


VIII 

\ 

t 

THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA 

THE  Yoruba  country,  in  which  most  of  the  op- 
erations of  the  Board  have  been  conducted, 
extends  sixty  miles  inward  from  the  Bight  of 
Benin  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  It  is  bounded 
by  Dahomey  and  Mahee  on  the  west,  and  the  river 
Niger  on  the  east  and  north.  Mr.  Bowen  repre-  | 
sented  the  whole  country  as  one  vast  expanse  of 
hilly  and  undulating  prairie,  much  of  it  being  cul- 
tivated by  a  numerous  and  industrious  people. 
The  people  are  a  mixed  race,  probably  of  Asiatic 
descent.  They  are  gentle,  cleanly,  social,  polite, 
and  not  lazy,  but  are  seemingly  devoid  of  con- 
science and  destitute  of  morality.  They  are  said 
to  have  a  good  share  of  common  sense,  and  to  be 
shrewd  observers  of  character.  Their  language  is 
rich  in  abstract  terms  and  in  affinities  with  the 
Latin  language,  as  well  as  with  the  Greek,  Saxon, 
Hebrew,  and  Sanscrit.  The  "  Grammar  and  Vo- 
cabulary of  the  Yoruban  Tongue,"  prepared  by 
Rev,  T.  J.  Bowen,  a  pioneer  missionary  to  Central 
Africa,  is  said  to  be  an  admirable  contribution  to 
philology.     The  Yorubans  were    not    polytheists, 

153 


154     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

but  made  God  the  efficient,  though  not  always  the 
instrumental,  Creator  and  Controller,  Their  idols, 
numbering  three  or  four  hundred,  they  esteemed 
and  called  intercessors,  and  all  gifts  and  offerings 
were  made  to  them.  They  believed  in  the  Furnace 
World,  but  had  no  fear  of  being  lost.  They  did 
not  worship  Satan,  but  under  the  name  of  Eshi, 
"  the  ejected,"  they  made  offerings  to  him  to  con- 

Lciliate  him,  and  poured  oil  on  his  altar  as  if  to 
mollify  his  evil  disposition.  The  streets  of  the 
best  and  largest  cities  were  narrow  and  intricate. 
A  curious  object  of  each  town  was  the  market, 
where  everything  was  sold,  from  the  native  rats  to 
velvet  and  other  imported  articles  from  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe. 

The  attention  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  was 
first  called  to  West  Africa  as  a  mission  field,  by  the 
proposal  of  Rev.  T.  J.  Bowen  to  penetrate  the  in- 
terior of  Africa  and  preach  the  gospel  to  its  peo- 
ples. So  earnestly  did  he  advocate  the  opening  of 
a  mission  in  West  Africa  and  demonstrate  its  feasi- 
bility and  advantage,  that,  in  1849,  the  Board  de- 
cided to  send  him  out  in  company  with  Mr.  Henry 
Goodale  and  a  young  colored  brother,  Robert  F. 
Hill.  Mr.  Bowen  was  self-educated,  but  his  thirst 
for  knowledge  and  excellent  memory  enabled  him 
to  become  a  man  of  extensive  and  varied  informa- 
tion. His  energy  and  perseverance  were  uncon- 
querable, and  he  was  possessed  of  keen  and  Intel- 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  155 

Hgent  powers  of  observation.  He  served  in  the 
Creek  Indian  War  and  in  the  Mexican  War,  and 
became  so  fascinated  with  army  life  that  it  required 
no  Httle  strength  and  determination  to  relinquish 
it.  He  resigned  his  commission  under  the  con- 
viction that  he  could  not  become  a  Christian  while 
his  heart  and  life  were  devoted  to  military  service. 
A  long  period  of  seeking  after  God  ended  in  a 
joyous  conversion.  Mr.  Goodale  was  first  ap- 
pointed to  China,  but  his  wife  died  shortly  before 
their  expected  departure,  and  he  was  transferred 
to  the  West  African  mission. 

These  pioneer  missionaries  arrived  in  Monrovia 
in  February,  1850,  and  having  heard  of  a  town 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  the  interior  that 
was  ruled  by  a  civilized  king,  Mr.  Goodale  decided 
that  this  would  be  a  more  favorable  place  to  open 
a  mission  than  farther  inland.  Mr.  Bowen  accom- 
panied him,  hoping  to  find  those  who  could  teach 
him  the  language  spoken  on  the  Niger.  On  Mr. 
Goodale's  arrival,  he  found  that  the  civilized  king 
had  been  superseded,  but  he  obtained  a  grant  of 
land.  Scarcely  had  he  located  than  he  was  taken 
ill,  and  though  Mr.  Bowen  gave  him  all  the  care 
possible,  he  died  a  month  later. 

Mr.  Bowen  was  thus  left  to  pursue  his  investiga- 
tions alone.  He  spent  two  years  exploring  the  in- 
terior, and  journeyed  as  far  inland  as  the  friendli- 
ness of  the  natives  would  permit,  though  he  did 


156     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

not  penetrate  so  far  as  he  had  hoped.  While 
Livingstone  was  entering  interior  Africa  from  the 
south  on  his  first  journey,  Bo  wen  was  entering  the 
Soudan  from  the  west.  At  one  time  they  were 
within  a  few  degrees  of  each  other,  but  they  never 
met.  Bowen's  published  account  of  his  travels 
and  explorations,  though  in  smaller  compass,  is 
no  less  interesting  than  those  of  Livingstone  and 
Stanley.  Mr.  Bowen  spent  eighteen  months  in 
Abbeokuta,  the  capital  of  the  small,  independent 
kingdom  of  Egba,  where  he  made  a  study  of 
the  Yoruban  language,  learning  to  speak  it  very 
well.  The  city  had  no  marks  of  civilization.  It 
was  situated  amid  isolated  granite  cliffs,  and  sur- 
rounded by  vast,  beautiful,  palm-dotted  plains  of 
grass  and  jungle.  During  his  stay  in  Abbeokuta 
the  king  of  Dahomey  appeared  before  the  city 
with  ten  thousand  men  and  six  thousand  women. 
The  Egbas  marched  out  fifteen  thousand  strong. 
Mr.  Bowen  brought  his  military  experience  into 
play,  and  standing  on  the  wall,  gave  some  di- 
rection to  affairs.  The  enemy  was  routed,  with 
two  thousand  slain  and  several  hundred  prison- 
ers. Mr.  Bowen  was  very  anxious  to  visit  Iketu, 
but  the  king  refused  him  permission,  and  when 
he  sent  for  him  some  months  later,  Mr.  Bowen 
found  the  chiefs  very  much  opposed  to  his  com- 
ing. The  king's  house  was  fired,  and  an  attempt 
was  made  to  poison  Mr.   Bowen.     The  king  re- 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  1 57 

quested  him  to  keep  in  doors,  but  Mr.  Bowen  was 
soon  preaching  to  the  people,  saying,  when  the 
king  objected  to  it,  "  You  must  not  forbid  me  to 
dehver  the  message  of  the  King  of  kings,  who 
sent  me  to  Iketu."  Matters  became  so  serious 
that,  with  the  advice  of  the  king,  Mr.  Bowen  re- 
turned to  Abbeokuta. 

About  twenty  months  after  his  arrival  in  Africa, 
Mr.  Bowen  received  his  first  letters  from  home. 
The  Board  did  not  deem  it  expedient  for  him  to 
settle  down  to  mission  work  without  co-laborers, 
and  authorized  him  to  return  home,  recruit  his  ex- 
hausted energies,  spread  information  among  the 
churches,  and  procure  suitable  men  to  embark 
with  him  in  the  enterprise.  When  the  suggestion 
of  the  Board  reached  him  he  had  already  deter- 
mined on  this  course,  and  after  a  long  and  tedious 
voyage  arrived  in  New  York  in  February,  1853. 
Cheering  news  awaited  him  as  he  returned  weary 
and  worn  from  the  land  of  darkness.  Special  in- 
terest in  African  missions  had  been  awakened  in 
the  minds  of  several  ministers  in  the  South,  re- 
sulting in  the  offer  of  themselves  for  this  service. 
The  decision  on  the  part  of  these  brethren  was 
simultaneous  and  without  consultation.  In  the 
spring  of  1853,  Rev^  J.  S.  Denjiard.  of  Georgia, 
and  Rev.  John  H.  Lacy,  of  Virginia,  were  ap- 
pointed to  Africa.  Shortly  after  his  return  to 
America,    Mr.    Bowen    married    Miss    Davis,    of 


158     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF   S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Greensboro,  Ga.,  and  in  company  with  Messrs. 
Dennard  and  Lacy  and  their  wives,  sailed  again 
for  Africa,  July  5,  1853. 

The  missionaries  arrived  in  Lagos  in  August, 
and  proceeded  to  Abbeokuta.  Distress  and  sorrow 
soon  overtook  the  devoted  band.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dennard  returned  to  Lagos,  where  Mrs.  Dennard 
died  with  African  fever  early  in  1854.  Her  hus- 
band survived  her  but  six  months,  and  Mr.  Lacy 
was  compelled  to  return  home  in  less  than  a  year. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowen  proceeded  to  Ijaye,  where 
Mr.  Bowen  built  a  mud  house  and  a  chapel  and 
baptized  a  few  converts.  Mr.  W.  H.  Clark, 
another  young  Georgian,  joined  them  in  Decem- 
ber, 1854,  and,  like  Mr.  Bowen,  was  soon  engaged 
in  building,  preaching,  and  traveling.  Mr,  Bowen 
said  that  every  corner  of  Ijaye  heard  the  gospel, 
often  with  such  rapt  attention  that  a  stranger 
would  have  thought  the  whole  town  was  on  the 
point  of  turning  to  the  Lord.  Others  opposed 
with  equal  ardor.  A  large  mission  house  was 
built,  designed  in  part  to  accommodate  new  mis- 
sionaries until  they  should  pass  through  the  ac- 
climation fever.  A  Sunday-school  was  opened, 
and  though  at  first  there  were  few  attendants,  the 
number  soon  increased,  until  there  was  neither 
room,  nor  books,  nor  teachers  sufficient  for  those 
eager  to  learn. 

In  the  autumn  of   1855,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowen 


THE    MISSION    IN    VORUBA  1 59 

removed  to  Ogbomoshaw  and  opened  another  sta-  \ 
tion.  Mrs.  Bowen  had  to  cross  the  Obba  River 
by  means  of  a  huge  calabash,  she  at  one  end  and 
the  ferryman  at  the  other,  this  being  the  mode  of 
ferrying.  Having  rented  a  house  and  made  all 
arrangements  for  Mrs.  Bowen's  comfort,  Mr, 
Bowen  started  for  the  Mohammedan  city  of  Ilorin, 
hoping  to  be  able  to  settle  there.  He  had~Beeh 
treated  very  cordially  on  a  former  visit  but  the 
sentiment  had  changed  or  else  he  had  been  de- 
ceived, and  so  permission  to  live  in  Ilorin  was 
denied  him.  On  his  return  to  Ogbomoshaw  the 
king  gave  him  a  beautiful  building  site,  and  in 
three  months  he  had  completed  a  comfortable  cot- 
tage of  three  rooms  with  outbuildings,  all  sur- 
rounded by  a  wall  five  feet  high. 

The  mission  was  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  D.  Phillips  and  Mr.  J.  F.  Beau- 
mont late  in  the  year  1855.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phil- 
lips located  in  Ijaye,  where  Mrs.  Phillips  fell  a 
victim  to  African  fever  soon  after  their  arrival. 
Mr.  Beaumont  joined  Mr.  Bowen  at  Ogbomoshaw ; 
he  was  not  a  minister,  but  was  a  fine  scholar  and 
was  sent  out  to  assist  in  the  preparation  of  books 
and  otherwise  aid  in  the  spiritual  instruction  of  the 
people.  Under  the  impression  that  his  health  was 
seriously  affected  he  returned  at  the  end  of  a  year. 
In  the  winter  of  1855,  Joseph  M.  Harden  (colored), 
who  had  labored  for  several  years  in  Liberia,  was 


l6o     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

transferred  to  the  Yoruban  Mission  and  located  at 
Lagos.  He  secured  the  erection  of  a  chapel  by 
his  own  liberal  contributions  and  without  expense 
to  the  Board.  He  also  rendered  efficient  serv- 
ice in  superintending  the  passage  of  mission- 
aries and  the  transmission  of  supplies  from  the 
coast  to  the  interior.  The  mission  sustained  a 
severe  loss  in  1856  by  the  return  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bovven  and  his  enforced  retirement  from  the  work 
because  of  enfeebled  health.  The  two  lonely  mis- 
sionaries, Mr.  Phillips  and  Mr.  Harden,  rejoiced 
over  the  arrival  of  much-needed  reinforcements 
early  in  January,  1857.  These  consisted  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  S.  Y.  Trimble,  of  Kentucky ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J. 
H.  Cason,  of  Tennessee  ;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  W. 
Priest,  of  Mississippi.  Before  they  were  perma- 
nently located  in  their  fields  Mrs.  Cason's  health 
became  so  impaired  that  her  return  to  America 
was  necessary.  Within  two  years  all  three  fam- 
ilies had  been  forced  by  failing  health  to  abandon 
the  field. 

While  at  Monrovia  on  the  return  voyage,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cason  met  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  A.  Reid  on 
their  way  to  Africa.  Mr.  Reid  was  a  Georgian 
and  was  adopted  by  the  Rehoboth  Association  of 
that  State  as  its  missionary,  to  fill  the  place  left 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Dennard.  They  located 
in  Ogbomoshaw  and  Mrs.  Reid  entered  into  her 
work  with  earnest  devotion,  and  by  her  exalted 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  l6l 

piety  and  intelligent  interest  won  the  love  of  her 
associates.  Only  a  few  months  of  effort  were  per- 
mitted her,  as  in  May,  1858,  she  was  attacked  with 
fever  and  passed  to  her  reward.  There  are  few 
sadder  incidents  in  missionary  annals.  Far  from 
friends  and  kindred  the  lonely  missionary  cared  for 
his  dying  wife,  laid  her  to  rest  with  his  own  hands, 
and  watched  over  her  grave  to  prevent  its  desecra- 
tion. Soon  after  her  death  Mr.  Reid  removed  to 
Awyaw,  where  for  two  years,  owing  to  tribal  wars, 
he  was  cut  off  from  all  intercourse  with  his  fellow- 
missionaries  and  suffered  from  insufficient  food 
and  lack  of  medical  attention.  He  was  cheered  by 
the  baptism  of  one  convert  and  thought  he  saw 
signs  of  progress  and  inquiry.  He  was  not  per- 
mitted to  follow  up  these  hopeful  indications,  for 
the  privations  endured  in  Awyaw  so  seriously  im- 
paired his  health  that  a  change  of  climate  became 
necessary.  He  left  Awyaw  in  the  spring  of  1864, 
journeyed  to  Abbeokuta  in  peril  of  his  life  from 
the  contending  armies,  and  sailed  from  Lagos  for 
home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  H.  Stone,  of  Virginia,  sailed 
for  Africa  in  the  autumn  of  1858,  and  located  in 
Ijaye.  The  town  was  surrounded  by  a  dense  forest 
which  the  governor  would  not  allow  to  be  dis- 
turbed. It  therefore  formed  the  lair  of  wild  beasts 
that  prowled  and  howled  around  the  street  all 
night.     The  character  of  the  people  and  the  gov- 


1 62     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

ernment  of  the  city,  however,  were  better  than 
those  of  most  cities.  In  the  beginning  of  his  sec- 
ond year  in  Ijaye,  Mr.  Stone  was  captured  by  the 
Ibadans,  taken  to  their  town,  and  tried  for  his  life 
on  the  charge  of  being  a  spy.  His  capture  and 
the  circumstances  attending  it,  revealed  to  him  the 
fact  that  formidable  preparations  were  being  made 
for  the  destruction  of  Ijaye.  The  whole  kingdom 
was  combined  against  it  because  the  governor 
would  not  acknowledge  the  authority  of  a  new 
king  just  come  to  the  throne.  He  escaped  from 
his  captors  and  on  the  long  and  weary  journey 
back  to  Ijaye  rested  at  Ogbomoshaw,  where  the 
mission  premises  were  in  good  order,  being  pro- 
tected by  the  chief  in  the  hope  that  Mr.  Clark 
would  some  day  return.  He  arrived  in  Ijaye  in 
time  to  see  a  large  army  approach  and  attack  it. 
There  was  a  pitched  battle  every  five  days.  The 
Abbeokutans  came  to  the  relief  of  the  Ijayans,  but 
this  only  prolonged  the  war.  The  town  was  taken 
and  completely  destroyed.  Hundreds  died  from 
starvation  around  the  missionaries'  home.  Mission 
work  was  almost  suspended,  but  the  missionaries 
visited  among  the  wounded  and  dying  and  thus 
gained  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  natives. 
Some  of  the  convalescents  listened  with  gladness  ; 
some  who  had  been  almost  inveterate  enemies, 
were  led  to  exclaim  with  tears  :  "  We  never  be- 
lieved the  white  man  loved  us  so  and  was  really 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  l6$ 

our  friend."  When  all  was  lost  at  Ijaye  Mr.  Stone 
removed  to  Abbeokuta.  All  the  converts  except 
two  had  preceded  him,  a  church  of  thirty  converts 
was  established,  and  a  flourishing  school  of  seventy 
children.  The  mission  was  greatly  blessed  and 
more  were  baptized  within  two  years  than  during 
its  whole  previous  history. 

Serious  trouble  befell  the  mission  in  1867,  ne- 
cessitating its  temporary  removal  to  Lagos.  An 
excited  mob,  unrestrained  by  the  authorities,  sur- 
rounded the  mission  premises,  robbed  them  of  all 
they  contained,  and  almost  destroyed  the  building. 
Returning  from  America,  Mr.  Stone  joined  Mr. 
Phillips  at  Lagos,  and  they  lost  no  time  in  gather- 
ing the  converts  from  Abbeokuta  and  other  interior 
cities  to  instruct  and  train  them.  The  children 
were  gathered  into  schools,  a  chapel  was  built,  and 
some  work  was  done  among  the  heathen  popula- 
tion. After  twelve  years  of  faithful  service  Mr. 
Phillips  was  obliged  to  return  to  America  in  order 
to  prolong  his  life.  Journeying  homeward  through 
England  and  Scotland  he  awakened  so  much  in- 
terest and  sympathy  and  received  such  generous 
contributions  that  the  debt  of  the  Yoruban  Mis- 
sion, contracted  during  the  war,  was  canceled. 
After  a  year  of  lonely  work,  Mr.  Stone  was  pros- 
trated with  brain  fever  and  was  forced  to  leave 
Africa  in  1869.  Thus  the  field  lost  the  last  white 
missionary.     For  several  years  the  Board  deemed 


164     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

it  impracticable  to  re-enter  the  Yoruba  country 
because  of  the  continued  hostility  of  the  king  and 
head  men  of  the  interior,  but  had  no  intention  of 
a  final  abandonment  of  the  field. 

The  Foreign  Mission  Board  appealed  to  the 
Convention  of  1874  for  an  appropriation  of  about 
$5,000  for  African  missions.  Rev.  W.  J.  David, 
of  Mississippi,  had  offered  himself  as  a  missionary 
to  Africa,  and  the  Board  favored  his  appointment. 
VV.  W.  Colley,  a  Negro  from  the  Richmond  Insti- 
tute, was  also  favorably  considered.  In  January, 
1875,  these  two  brethren  sailed  for  Africa  with 
instructions  if  they  saw  no  prospect  of  entering 
the  Yoruba  country,  to  make  another  attempt  in 
the  Beir  country,  from  which  the  missionaries  had 
been  driven  in  1872.  On  their  arrival  in  Sierra 
Leone  they  rejoiced  to  learn  that  Yoruba  was 
again  open  and  that  two  missionaries  of  the  Eng- 
lish Church  had  gone  to  Abbeokuta  by  invitation 
of  the  king.  The  people  said  that  the  white  man's 
God  had  killed  all  of  their  princes  who  were  con- 
cerned in  driving  away  the  missionaries.  After  a 
short  stay  in  Monrovia,  the  capital  of  Liberia,  the 
missionaries  sailed  for  Lagos.  Here  they  were 
visited  by  about  forty-five  church-members,  who 
were  greatly  rejoiced  over  their  arrival  and  held  a 
meeting  to  thank  God  for  hearing  and  answering 
their  prayer.  Mr.  David  journeyed  to  Abbeokuta, 
where  he  was  cordially  received  by  the  king  and 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  165 

his  advisers.  He  found  sixteen  members  of  the 
church  and  heard  directly  from  Ogbomoshaw  that 
about  eighteen  members  there  remained  faithful. 
These  men  often  traveled  to  Lagos,  a  journey  of 
twelve  days,  to  inquire  if  "God's  men  had  come." 
Though  urged  to  make  his  home  in  Abbeokuta, 
Mr.  David  deemed  it  best  to  return  to  Lagos.  On 
January  i,  1876,  he  organized  a  church  of  twenty- 
four  members,  and  the  day  following  baptized 
twenty  converts. 

Mr.  David  appealed  for  another  man,  that  the 
three  stations  of  Lagos,  Abbeokuta,  and  Ogbomo- 
shaw might  each  be  occupied,  but  while  waiting 
for  a  response,  sent  his  interpreter,  Moses  L. 
Stone,  to  Ogbomoshaw.  This  young  man  was  one 
of  the  children  given  to  the  missionaries  and 
brought  from  Abbeokuta  when  they  were  com- 
pelled to  abandon  that  station.  He  had  been 
trained  in  the  home  of  Mr.  Stone  and  had  been 
baptized  by  him.  After  Mr.  Stone's  return,  his 
piety  and  intelligence  caused  him  to  be  recognized 
as  a  teacher  and  adviser  among  his  fellow-converts. 
The  church  at  Lagos  continued  to  receive  addi- 
tions and  in  eight  months  the  membership  was 
doubled.  A  brick  meeting-house  was  erected 
which  would  accommodate  between  three  and  four 
hundred.  In  the  summer  of  1876,  Mr.  David 
made  a  trip  into  the  interior.  He  received  a  kind 
welcome  at  Abbeokuta  and  secured  a  site  for  a 


1 66     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

chapel.  He  found  that  only  four  or  five  of  the 
old  members  remained  faithful  and  could  be  de- 
pended upon.  At  Awyaw,  where  the  old  mission 
buildings  lay  in  ruins,  the  king  gave  him  a  grand 
reception  and  offered  to  aid  in  the  erection  of 
houses  if  a  mission  conld  be  established.  When 
he  reached  Ogbomoshavv,  the  people  cried,  "  God 
be  praised ;  he  has  heard  our  prayers,  which  have 
continued  these  many  years."  A  few  of  those 
who  had  heard  the  gospel  from  the  missionaries  had 
met  together  and  read  the  Bible  from  the  time  the 
missionaries  left  until  the  coming  of  Mr.  David,  a 
period  of  about  eighteen  years.  During  his  stay 
of  two  months,  Mr.  David  gathered  a  congregation 
of  a  hundred  and  twenty-five,  to  whom  he  preached 
under  the  trees  planted  by  former  missionaries. 
A  chapel  was  built  in  which  the  doors,  windows, 
and  benches  of  the  old  mission  house  were  used. 
Many  articles  left  by  the  missionaries  had  been 
carefully  preserved. 

On  his  return  to  Abbeokuta,  Mr.  David  found 
the  chapel  finished  and  dedicated  to  God  in  a 
prayer  meeting  held  by  two  old  women,  who  were 
the  first  converts  received  by  the  missionaries. 
He  was  not  permitted  to  prosecute  his  work  be- 
cause of  failing  health,  and  in  order  to  save  his 
life  he  was  recalled  to  America.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  in  this  country,  Mr.  David  married  Miss 
Nannie  W.   Bland,  of  Virginia,  and   after  a  year 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  167 

at  home  they  sailed  for  Africa,  in  1879,  and  were 
welcomed  in  Lagos  with  great  exultation.  Moses 
Stone  reported  a  prosperous  school  of  twenty  at 
Ogbomoshaw,  many  souls  inquiring  the  way  of 
life,  and  twenty  converts  awaiting  baptism.  He 
was  ordained  to  the  ministry  while  at  Lagos  and 
returned  to  his  work  at  Ogbomoshaw.  The  inte- 
rior stations  were  much  disturbed  by  wars,  and  at 
one  time  he  was  cut  off  for  a  year  from  all  com- 
munication with  Lagos.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  made  the  journey  and  reported  that,  though 
locked  in  by  the  enemy,  he  had  continued  at  work 
and  had  baptized  five  converts.  Mr.  David  built 
a  mission  house,  that  is  described  as  one  of  the 
most  comfortable  and  convenient  mission  houses 
in  Lagos,  and  he  ascribed  the  large  increase  in  the 
number  of  scholars  during  the  year  to  the  fact  that 
the  Baptist  mission  was  regarded  as  firmly  estab- 
lished. The  spring  of  1881  found  Mr.  David  en- 
tirely alone  on  the  field,  his  fellow-worker,  Rev.  S. 
Cosby,  who  had  been  sent  out  jointly  by  the  Col- 
ored Baptist  Convention  of  Virginia  and  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Convention,  being  recalled  to  work  in 
connection  with  the  Negro  Board  of  Missions. 
Before  he  could  effect  any  change,  however,  he 
was  stricken  with  fever  and  called  to  his  reward. 
His  piety  and  humility  had  greatly  endeared  him 
to  his  co-workers. 

The  earnest  appeals  for  more  white  missionaries 


1 68     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

that  Mr.  David  had  been  making  from  the  time  of 
his  return  were  answered,  in  1882,  by  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  A.  Eubank,  who  took  up  their 
residence  in  Abbeokuta.  Five  stations  were  thus 
occupied :  Lagos,  by  Mr.  David ;  Abbeokuta,  by 
Mr.  Eubank  ;  Ogbomoshaw,  by  M.  L.  Stone  ; 
Hausser  Farm  and  Gaun,  both  in  charge  of  native 
assistants.  The  Hausser  Farm  station  was  main- 
tained by  the  Lagos  church.  The  church  at 
Lagos  about  this  time  witnessed  a  great  revival, 
about  a  hundred  persons  being  brought  to  Christ 
and  twenty-five  confessing  him  in  baptism.  The 
schoolhouse,  for  which  Mr.  David  had  long  pleaded, 
was  erected.  It  compared  favorably  with  the  other 
well-built  schoolhouses  of  this  English-African  city. 
The  teaching  was  elementary,  but  it  was  hoped 
that  it  might  ultimately  be  elevated  and  adapted 
to  the  training  of  native  preachers. 

In  the  winter  of  1884  the  mission  was  reinforced 
by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  W.  Harvey,  Mr. 
S.  M.  Cook,  and  Mr.  C.  E.  Smith.  After  spending 
a  few  months  in  Lagos,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  and 
Mr.  Cook  located  in  Abbeokuta,  thus  leaving  Mr. 
Eubank  free  to  remove  to  Lagos  and  superintend 
the  work  there  during  the  absence  of  Mr.  David. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  returned  to  Africa  in  the 
spring  of  1885,  bringing  with  them  the  material 
for  a  new  chapel,  which  was  to  cost  about  $5,000. 
Shortly  after  her  return  to  Africa,  Mrs.  David  was 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  169 

attacked  by  the  malignant  fever  of  the  country, 
and  while  on  the  way  to  Madeira,  seeking  restora- 
tion, she  fell  asleep.  Her  bright,  consecrated  life 
was  a  perpetual  inspiration  to  her  associates,  and 
her  last  words  came  with  solemn  earnestness  alike 
to  them  and  to  the  home  land,  "Never  give  up 
Africa." 

The  mission  was  further  depleted  in  1886  by 
the  resignation  of  Mr.  Cook  and  the  return  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Harvey  on  account  of  failing  health. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  hoped  to  resume  work  after 
a  period  of  rest,  but  never  recovered  sufficiently 
to  deem  it  advisable.  Meanwhile,  Mr.  David, 
having  married  again,  returned  to  Africa,  accom- 
panied by  Miss  Cynthia  Morris,  who,  a  few  days 
after  her  arrival,  was  married  to  Mr.  Smith.  In 
his  report  to  the  Convention  of  1887,  Mr.  David 
gave  a  retrospective  view  of  twelve  years'  work  in 
Africa.^  The  results  were  not  so  manifest  as  in 
other  fields,  but  the  obstacles  had  been  great ; 
many  of  these  had  been  overcome  and  the  work 
pressed  forward.  The  year  1888  witnessed  more 
solid  growth  in  the  mission  than  in  any  previous 
year.  In  Lagos  the  church-members  were  zealous 
in  their  efforts  to   bring  the   heathen   to  Christ. 

^  Four  chapels  and  i  substantial,  beautiful  church  had  been 
built ;  5  schools  had  been  established,  with  284  pupils  ;  171  had 
been  baptized,  32  of  whom  had  died  in  the  faith  ;  4  comfortable 
homes  for  missionaries  and  3  for  evangelists  had  been  erected. 


I/O     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Every  Sabbath  afternoon  they  met  in  the  school- 
room for  a  short  devotional  service,  then,  separat- 
ing into  two  or  three  bands,  went  out  in  the  streets 
to  sing,  pray,  and  preach.  Each  week  some  of  the 
women  took  their  little  stock  of  goods  home  from 
market  on  their  heads  and  then  went  out  into  the 
streets  and  markets  proclaiming  Christ. 

A  most  stirring  appeal  for  Africa  was  that  sent 
by  Mr.  Eubank  to  the  Convention  of  1889. 
Among  other  things,  he  said  there  was  danger 
that  the  missionaries  would  become  discouraged 
by  the  long  delay  in  sending  help  to  them.  God 
had  not  chosen  to  bless  their  work  as  he  had 
that  of  some  missions,  and  brethren  at  home 
became  disheartened  because  large  results  were 
not  reported,  forgetting  that  this  fact  was  far  more 
discouraging  to  the  missionary.  The  discourage- 
ments of  the  missionary  were  innumerable :  the 
need  of  enforcing  church  discipline;  the  falling 
away  of  young  people  in  whom  a  peculiar  interest 
had  been  awakened ;  the  failure  of  repeated  efforts 
to  implant  principles  of  truth  and  virtue;  the  be- 
trayal of  confidence;  and  the  failure  of  a  son  in 
the  gospel.  Nearly  all  the  encouragements  found 
their  way  home,  the  discouragements,  for  the  most 
part,  were  locked  up  in  the  missionary's  bosom. 

God  had  already  answered  the  appeal  made,  and 
in  September,  1889,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  C.  Newton 
and  Miss  Alberta  Newton   arrived  in  Lagfos.      It 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  171 

was  soon  arranged  that  they  should  take  charge 
of  the  work  at  that  station.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lum- 
bley,  who  arrived  at  the  same  time,  being  unable 
to  reach  Ogbomoshaw  because  of  tribal  wars,  were 
temporarily  stationed  at  Abbeokuta.  The  year 
1889  witnessed  some  sad  losses.  Broken  down  in 
health,  Mr.  David  returned  to  America  with  his 
family,  and  while  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were  trying 
to  erect  a  suitable  home  in  Ogbomoshaw,  she  was 
called  to  that  "house  not  made  with  hands."  The 
perplexities  and  discouragements  of  the  mission 
were  greatly  increased  by  a  schism  in  the  church 
at  Lagos,  the  result  of  which  was  the  separation 
from  the  mission  of  the  majority  of  the  Baptists 
of  that  city.  Mr.  Newton  labored  earnestly  for  a 
reconciliation  and  was  rewarded  by  bringing  about 
a  better  state  of  feeling. 

In  January,  1891,  Mr.  Eubank  baptized  a  young 
Englishman,  S.  G.  Pinnock,  who  a  few  months 
later  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  employed 
by  the  Board.  He  had  come  out  to  Africa  antici- 
pating entering  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  ministry. 
While  in  Lagos  he  met  Mr.  Eubank,  and  among 
other  topics  they  discussed  Christian  baptism.  Mr. 
Pinnock  having  declared  in  favor  of  infant  bap- 
tism, Mr.  Eubank  advised  him  to  read  carefully 
and  prayerfully  the  New  Testament  and  he  would 
not  fear  the  result.  Mr.  Pinnock  followed  the 
advice  and  it  changed  his  convictions.     With  his 


1/2     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

wife,  a  young  lady  from  England,  he  joined  the 
Eubanks  at  Ogbomoshaw.  At  the  urgent  request 
of  his  fellow-missionaries,  Mr.  Eubank  returned, 
in  1892,  for  needed  rest.  He  expected  soon  to  go 
back  to  Africa,  but  decided  that  his  only  child 
demanded  his  care  and  resigned  from  the  service 
of  the  Board.  Mr.  Smith,  having  married  in  the 
United  States,  returned  in  1892,  thus  leaving  Mr. 
Pinnock  free  to  locate  at  Awyaw,  where  Mr.  Eu- 
bank had  opened  a  station  and  where  the  mission- 
aries were  desirous  of  placing  a  white  missionary 
family. 

The  year  1 892  was  characterized  by  great  po- 
litical excitement  in  the  Yoruba  country.  The 
long-existing  feud  between  the  Ibadan  and  the 
Ilorin  people  seemed  to  have  reached  a  crisis. 
The  Ijebu  and  Abbeokuta  tribes  blockaded  Lagos 
because  they  said  she  would  not  make  peace  be- 
tween Ibadan  and  Ilorin.  The  roads  were  closed 
most  of  the  year  and  all  communication  between 
the  missionaries  in  the  interior  and  Mr.  Newton  at 
Lagos  was  cut  off,  except  as  an  occasional  letter 
ran  the  blockade.  The  Lagos  government,  which 
is  English,  sent  an  expedition  against  Ijebu  that 
resulted  in  the  conquering  and  annexation  of  that 
country,  and  the  year  closed  with  the  whole  coun- 
try at  peace.  These  tribal  wars  that  led  to  kid- 
napping and  obstruction  of  roads  were  constantly 
recurring  hindrances  to  mission  work.     The  year 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  1 73 

was  not  fruitful  in  additions  to  the  churches,  but 
the  changes  which  had  taken  place,  both  politically 
and  in  some  other  ways,  had  prepared  the  way  for 
enlargement  and  greater  permanency  in  the  work 
of  the  future.  At  Lagos,  despite  opposition,  the 
missionaries  were  meeting  with  encouraging  suc- 
cess and  conversions  gladdened  their  hearts.  Con- 
gregations were  larger  than  ever  before  during  Mr. 
Newton's  stay,  and  the  Christians  stood  by  him 
more  firmly  because  of  the  opposition  of  outsiders. 
At  Ogbomoshaw  Mr.  Smith  was  encouraged  by  an 
interest  which  he  felt  was  more  than  curiosity. 
He  had  endeavored  to  enlist  the  Christians  in 
work  among  the  heathen,  and  was  cheered  by  their 
greater  activity.  There  were  baptisms  in  each  one 
of  the  four  cities  where  the  Board  had  stations,  the 
first  year  in  which  this  had  been  the  case.^ 

In  December,  1893,  the  Newtons  returned  to 
Africa  after  a  much-needed  rest  in  the  United 
States.  The  Baptist  church  at  Lagos  gave  them 
a  warm  reception,  and  letters  from  the  interior, 
welcoming  them  back  to  the  field,  breathed  a  spirit 
of  hopefulness.  During  Mr.  Newton's  absence,  the 
church  had  undertaken  the  support  of  a  native 
worker  at  two  points  outside  of  Lagos.     This  ex- 

'  Of  the  two  Baptist  churches  in  Lagos,  one  had  a  membership 
of  100  and  the  other  60.  At  Hausser  Farm  there  were  15  mem- 
bers, 10  at  Abbeokuta,  5  at  Awyaw,  and  50  at  Ogbomoshaw, 
making  a  total  of  240  Baptists  in  the  Voruba  country. 


174     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

tension  of  its  influence  was  a  cheering  sign  of 
growth.  An  interesting  work  was  undertaken  by 
a  converted  blacksmith  living  six  or  eight  miles 
from  Lagos.  This  man  opened  a  Sunday-school 
in  the  villages  near  him,  went  to  Mr.  Newton  for 
instruction  in  the  Scriptures  as  often  as  possible, 
and,  by  using  the  knowledge  gained,  rapidly  ac- 
quired more.  He  had  many  trials  in  beginning  his 
work,  but  succeeded  in  gathering  many  into  his 
Bible-school.  After  a  time  the  chiefs  of  the  vil- 
lage gave  him  a  lot  on  which  to  erect  a  building. 
He  began  putting  up  the  mud  walls  of  his  place  of 
worship,  and  the  people  of  the  village,  seeing  his 
earnestness,  helped  him.  Mr.  Newton  brought 
the  matter  before  the  Lagos  church  and  encour- 
aged them  to  help  him.  The  building  was  finished 
by  their  aid  and  they  sent  every  Sunday  one  of 
their  own  members  to  assist  him.  God  blessed 
their  efforts,  and  when  on  his  return  Mr.  Newton 
visited  this  new  interest,  the  house  was  full  at  the 
service,  and  many  stood  at  the  windows  listening 
to  the  word,  while  four  were  received  for  baptism. 
The  work  at  Ogbomoshaw  continued  increas- 
ingly prosperous  during  the  year  1894  ;  Mr.  Smith 
had  succeeded,  after  a  long  struggle,  in  getting 
the  church  to  build  a  house,  the  members  doing 
most  of  the  work  of  building  the  walls.  The 
people  were  very  poor,  but  were  urged  to  self- 
support  and  contributed  nearly  thirty  dollars  dur- 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  1 75 

ing  the  year.  The  steady  aim  of  the  missionary 
was  to  train  them  in  Christian  living,  self-support, 
and  self-control. 

In  the  summer  of  1894  the  African  Mission 
sustained  severe  losses.  Mrs.  Newton  died  in 
Lagos,  July  11.  She  was  a  brave,  helpful  spirit, 
and  had  great  influence  over  the  natives,  by  whom 
she  was  much  beloved.  A  few  days  after  her 
death  Mr.  Newton  was  taken  ill  and  died  at  sea, 
July  26.  He  was  a  faithful,  wise,  and  aggressive 
missionary,  and  the  work  at  Lagos  was  prospering 
in  his  hands.  In  the  spring  of  1895  Miss  Al- 
berta Newton  severed  her  connection  with  the 
mission  by  her  marriage  with  an  English  Wesleyan 
missionary.  She  had  been  actively  engaged  in 
school  work  and  was  a  much-esteemed  member  of 
the  mission.  Loss  succeeded  loss.  In  April, 
1895,  Mrs.  Lumbley  was  called  home.  Only 
three  missionaries  were  left  on  the  field — Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pinnock  and  Mr.  Lumbley.  Mr.  Pinnock 
found  his  hands  more  than  full  visiting  the  sta- 
tions, preaching  to  large  crowds  in  the  streets  and 
markets,  to  little  groups  gathered  in  their  homes, 
and  attending  to  the  demands  of  his  medical 
work.  The  patients  attended  a  little  prayer  serv- 
ice prior  to  receiving  medical  attention,  and  while 
Mr.  Pinnock  knew  of  no  case  where  spiritual  good 
had  been  wrought,  it  made  the  people  willing  to 
listen  and  he  believed  in  final  results. 


iy6     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

In  the  summer  of  1896  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  re- 
turned to  Africa,  accompanied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W. 
P.  Winn,  the  latter  being  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Smith. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winn  went  out  to  serve  under  the 
Board,  but  were  supported  by  the  Smiths.  They 
located  at  Ogbomoshaw  and  entered  into  the  work 
Vv^ith  great  enthusiasm.  Street  preaching,  visiting, 
and  teaching  occupied  the  time  not  employed  in 
the  study  of  the  language.  Mrs.  Winn,  having 
been  a  primary  class  teacher  at  home,  entered 
heartily  into  Sunday-school  work  and  gathered  a 
class  of  thirty-five  or  forty  children  from  three  to 
seven  years  of  age.  Mr.  Winn  made  habitable  a 
building  that  Mr.  Lumbley  had  commenced,  and 
organized  a  church  of  twenty  members.  The  old 
church,  under  Mr.  Smith's  care,  numbered  more 
than  a  hundred  members.  At  nine  on  Sunday 
morning  Sunday-school  was  held,  beginning  with 
an  attendance  of  about  thirty  and  closing  with  al- 
most the  whole  church-membership  and  their  fami- 
lies. It  was  a  live  school,  with  an  attendance  of 
about  a  hundred,  eighty  of  whom  were  Christians. 
The  school  was  under  native  control,  except  that 
Mr.  Smith  examined  it  at  the  close.  There  were 
eight  classes  and  eight  teachers,  not  counting  the 
missionaries. 

The  year  1897  was  one  of  severe  trial  to  the 
missionaries.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winn,  while  every- 
thing pointed  to  a  career  of  great  usefulness  for 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  1 77 

them,  were  compelled,  by  Mr.  Winn's  failing 
health,  to  leave  the  field  and  set  out  on  their  jour- 
ney to  America.  Mrs.  Winn  was  not  permitted 
again  to  see  the  home  land  ;  she  was  taken  sud- 
denly ill  off  the  African  coast  and  passed  to  her 
reward,  August  29,  1897.  In  many  respects  the 
year  was  one  of  discouragement  at  Ogbomoshaw. 
There  was  less  increase  in  numbers  and,  as  Mr. 
Smith  said,  the  devil  seemed  to  hold  the  people  with 
the  cords  of  love  of  polygamy,  fear  of  persecution, 
fear  of  their  idols,  customs  of  their  fathers,  and 
love  of  feasting  and  show.  Mr.  Smith  missed 
the  assistance  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winn  had  been 
accustomed  to  give  in  the  day  school.  The  great 
need  was  good  teachers  to  make  the  school  of  in- 
creasing usefulness. 

At  Lagos  the  outlook  was  much  more  encour- 
aging. Rev.  M.  L.  Stone  baptized  thirty-three, 
about  half  of  whom  came  from  the  heathen  and 
the  remainder  seeking  scriptural  baptism  came 
from  other  denominations.  The  prayer  meeting 
and  the  Sunday-school  were  well  attended.  The 
native  church  at  Lagos  also  made  encouraging 
progress.  Though  independent,  this  church 
worked  in  harmony  with  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board.  L.  O.  Fadipe,  a  native  worker  at  Abbeo- 
kuta,  was  ordained  at  Lagos,  all  the  Baptist 
churches  in  Yoruba  being  represented  at  the 
services.     To  encourage  this  brother  in  his  diffi- 

M 


1/8     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

cult  work,  the  native  church  presented  him  with 
a  purse  from  the  men,  a  New  Testament  in  his 
own  language  from  the  women,  and  a  Bible  picture 
roll  from  the  young  people,  suitable  for  outdoor 
preaching.  At  the  close  of  the  year  1897,  the 
native  force  consisted  of  twelve  persons,  eight  of 
whom  were  paid  wholly  or  in  part  by  the  mission. 
There  were  frequent  baptisms  and  the  church- 
membership  numbered  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
four. 

'  In  January,  1899,  a  valuable  worker  was  added 
to  the  Yoruba  Mission  by  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Lumbley  to  Miss  Carrie  Green,  of  London,  Eng- 
land. Miss  Green  was  a  cousin  of  Mr.  Pinnock 
and  had  offered  herself  to  the  Board  in  1894, 
but  owing  to  its  financial  embarrassment  at  that 
time  she  was  not  accepted.  In  the  summer  of 
1899  ^^^  mission  was  further  reinforced  by  the 
arrival  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Dawes,  a  colored  man  and 
formerly  a  worker  in  Jamaica.  He  entered  into 
the  work  with  great  vigor,  and  during  Mr.  Smith's 
absence  in  America  took  his  place  at  Ogbomo- 
shaw.  In  addition  to  trying  to  build  what  he 
termed  a  hut  for  himself,  superintending  the 
school,  and  carrying  the  schoolhouse  on  to  com- 
pletion, he  found  time  to  enter  into  the  care  of 
the  churches,  to  discipline  delinquent  members, 
and  to  baptize  converts.  The  schoolhouse  was  a 
light,  airy,  fireproof    building,  which  evoked    the 


THE    MISSION    IN    YORUBA  1/9 

approval  of  the  governor  of  Lagos.  A  tried  and 
faithful  worker  from  the  Lagos  school  was  se- 
cured as  teacher.  The  most  encouraging  feature 
of  the  work  at  Ogbomoshaw  was  the  advance 
made   toward   self-support. 

In  January,  1899,  the  workers'  institute  was  held  ■ 
in  Ogbomoshaw.  It  was  an  interesting,  almost 
an  enthusiastic  meeting.  In  order  to  throw  some 
responsibility  on  the  native  brethren  and  give 
them  an  insight  into  such  management,  the  meet- 
ings were  conducted  according  to  parliamentary 
form,  A  programme  of  subjects  had  been  made 
out  and  speakers  asked  to  prepare  themselves, 
most  of  whom  spoke  creditably.  The  meeting 
was  a  distinct  advance  on  that  of  the  year  pre- 
vious. Two  weeks  spent  together  was  a  help  so- 
cially and  spiritually  to  the  native  brethren  as  well 
as  to  the  missionaries.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
last  day  the  missionaries  gave  the  native  brethren 
a  tea ;  speeches  were  made,  resolutions  offered, 
and  at  the  close  of  a  social  hour  the  company 
sang,  "  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds,"  and  after  a  . 
general  handshake,  parted.  " — ' 

In  June,  1901,  Rev.  L.  M.  Duval,  of  St.  John, 
New  Brunswick,  was  appointed  a  missionary  to 
Africa.  By  virtue  of  ability,  training,  and  ex- 
perience his  appointment  promises  a  valuable  addi- 
tion to  the  African  missionary  force. 

More  than  fifty  years  have  passed   since  self- 


L 


iSO     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

sacrificing  missionaries,  not  counting  their  lives 
dear  unto  themselves,  determined  to  give  the  gos- 
pel to  the  people  of  Yoruba.  War,  pestilence, 
and  death  have  done  their  utmost  to  render  the 
effort  of  no  avail,  but  amid  perplexity,  discourage- 
ment, and  sorrow,  brave  men  and  women  have 
struggled  on,  knowing  that  God's  promises  are  sure 
and  that  he  has  said  by  the  mouth  of  his  proi)het 
Isaiah  :  "  In  that  time  shall  the  present  be  brought 
unto  the  Lord  of  hosts  of  a  people  scattered  and 
peeled,  and  from  a  people  terrible  from  their  be- 
ginning hitherto  ;  a  nation  meted  out  and  trodden 
under  foot,  whose  land  the  rivers  have  spoiled,  to 
the  place  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the 
mount  Zion."  One  of  the  saddest  features  of  this 
history  is  the  seemingly  premature  sacrifice  of 
American  life.  There  were  appointment,  enthusi- 
asm, arrival,  and  beginning,  and  then  in  a  brief 
while  the  terrible  fever  and  death.  Wife,  hus- 
band, one  or  both,  falls  a  victim  and  the  other  re- 
turns home  broken-hearted,  or  labors  on  alone,  in 
a  short  time  to  meet  the  same  fate.  Ethiopia 
may  and  does  stretch  out  her  hands  pleading  for 
help,  but  in  the  main  a  permanent  response  thereto 
must  come  from  her  own  converted  sons  and 
daughters.  Few  deductions  of  history  are  plainer 
than  this  from  that  of  African  missions. 


IX 

THE    ITALIAN    MISSION 

AS  early  as  1850  the  attention  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  had  been  directed  toward 
Europe  as  a  mission  field  and  some  investigations 
as  to  the  best  opening  for  mission  work  had  been 
made,  but  owing  to  lack  of  funds  nothing  definite 
was  decided  upon.  The  Convention  of  1870,  gave 
definiteness  to  the  deliberations  of  the  Board  by 
recommending  the  appointment  of  missionaries  to 
several  European  countries  as  soon  as  the  neces- 
sary funds  were  placed  at  its  disposal. 

In  June,  of  the  same  year,  William  N.  Cote, 
M.  D.,  secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  of  France  and  a  worker  in  the  Latin 
quarter  of  Paris,  was  present  with  the  Board,  whose 
attention  had  been  called  to  him  as  a  suitable  mis- 
sionary. A  few  days  later  the  Board  decided  to 
establish  a  mission  in  Southern  Europe  at  once, 
to  be  located  at  Marseilles,  Milan,  Chambourg,  or 
some  point  found  advisable  after  investigation. 
Doctor  Cote  was  accepted  as  a  missionary  of  the 
Board  with  authority  to  appoint  two  or  more  pious 
young  Baptists  to  labor  under  his  direction  as  col- 

181 


1 82     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

porters  and  missionaries.  These  young  men  were 
to  be  trained  by  him  for  the  full  ministry  of  the 
gospel,  and  in  order  to  start  the  work  $3,000  was 
appropriated.  Soon  after  his  appointment  Doctor 
Cote  sailed  for  Europe.  He  found  many  openings 
for  evangelistic  effort ;  but  before  he  decided  upon 
a  location  the  army  of  Victor  Immanuel  entered 
Rome  and  the  gates  of  the  Eternal  City  were 
thrown  open  to  the  gospel. 

Doctor  Cote  went  at  once  to  Rome  and  was  the 
first  Protestant  missionary  to  enter  the  city  after 
this  event.  He  wrote  at  once  to  the  Board  urging 
the  immediate  occupancy  of  Rome  and  the  rapid 
enlargement  of  the  work.  Other  denominations 
had  already  entered  Italy  and  it  was  felt  that  Bap- 
tist principles,  being  most  directly  opposed  to 
Romanism,  would  find  a  ready  access  to  many  a 
heart.  Doctor  Cote  proceeded  quietly  with  his 
work,  religious  meetings  were  held,  but  not  very 
publicly,  lest  such  opposition  might  be  excited  as 
would  prove  troublesome  to  the  Italian  government 
at  that  stage  of  negotiation  with  the  pope.  The 
attendance  at  these  meetings  steadily  increased, 
many  coming  in  response  to  invitations  extended 
by  the  missionary  as  he  called  upon  them  in  their 
shops.  Some  were  found  who,  being  Baptist  in 
sentiment,  were  ready  to  unite  with  him  in  his 
work.  Generous  donations  of  tracts  and  portions 
of  the  Scriptures  were  received  from  the  American 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  1 83 

Tract  Society,  the  American  Baptist  Publication 
Society,  and  the  Bible  Stand  of  the  Crystal  Palace, 
London.  More  than  twenty-five  thousand  copies 
of  portions  of  the  word  of  God  were  distributed 
and  gladly  received.  This  distribution  of  the 
Scriptures  was  not  interfered  with  by  the  police, 
but  rather  approved.  A  city  guard,  to  whom  a 
colporter  gave  a  book,  said  to  him  :  "  Go  on  with 
your  work,  Rome  has  need  of  these  books." 

The  first-fruits  of  this  mission  were  gathered 
when,  on  January  30,  1871,  a  church  was  consti- 
tuted. Eight  of  the  members  were  baptized  just 
before  the  church  was  constituted  and  were  re- 
garded as  giving  good  evidence  of  conversion. 
Dr.  John  A.  Broadus  and  Dr.  Warren  Randolph, 
who  had  been  sojourning  in  Italy  and  had  become 
deeply  impressed  with  the  encouraging  outlook, 
were  present  at  the  organization  of  the  church  and 
assured  it  of  the  sympathy  and  prayers  of  baptized 
believers  in  America.  The  work  was  pushed  with 
vigor  by  Doctor  Cote  and  the  three  Italian  brethren 
who  assisted  him.  Twelve  baptisms  and  a  total 
membership  of  eighteen  were  reported  to  the  Con- 
vention of  1 87 1.  New  interests  sprang  up  in  a 
number  of  cities  and  towns  which  called  urgently 
for  evangelists.  A  thousand  copies  of  the  Gospel 
of  John  and  the  Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Romans 
were  distributed  at  Civita  Vecchia,  a  meeting  was 
formed  in  a  cafe  for  reading  the  Scriptures,  and 


184     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

soon  a  church  of  twenty-two  members  was  consti- 
tuted. A  common  laborer  at  Viterbo,  inspired  by 
the  Spirit,  began  to  read  to  the  people  the  Bible, 
which  was  scattered  throughout  the  city,  and 
prominent  citizens  sent  a  request  for  an  evangelist. 
At  Bari,  a  city  of  eighty  thousand  people,  a  church 
of  seventy-five  members  was  born  in  a  day. 

The  Waldensian  valleys,  in  the  north  of  Italy,  con- 
tained a  population  of  twenty-five  thousand.  Here 
thirty-four  persons  had  been  baptized  and  a  little 
church  constituted  at  La  Tour.  The  evangelist, 
Ferraris,  was  a  mechanic  and  supported  himself 
by  his  trade.  A  welcome  addition  to  the  mission 
was  received  in  1872  in  Giovanni  B.  Gioja,  a  man 
of  talents  and  accomplishments.  He  was  bap- 
tized in  the  river  Tiber  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Vatican.  Writing  of  this  impressive  occasion,  Dr. 
H.  H.  Tucker  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  this 
was  the  first  time  for  many  centuries  that  the 
Tiber  had  been  stirred  as  the  Jordan  was  stirred 
by  John  the  Baptist.  Signor  Gioja  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry  by  a  presbytery  composed  of  Doc- 
tor Cote,  Dr.  M.  T.  Yates,  of  Shanghai,  Dr.  George 
W.  Anderson,  of  the  American  Baptist  Publication 
Society,  and  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker.  He  became  pas- 
tor of  the  church  in  the  Trastevere  quarter  of 
Rome,  a  section  noted  for  its  ignorance  and  super- 
stition, but  where  crowded  services  bore  testimony 
to  the  influence  of  the  preached  word. 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  1 8$ 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  in  order  to  estab- 
lish a  permanent  work  in  Rome  a  building  owned 
and  controlled  by  Baptists  must  be  procured. 
Doctor  Cote  had  secured  a  rented  hall  on  the 
Piazza  Navona,  a  large  square  in  the  center  of 
Rome.  The  services  were  largely  attended  and 
their  success  alarmed  the  priests,  who  instigated 
the  proprietors  to  prosecute  the  tenant  who  sublet 
the  hall,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  injunction. 
While  the  authorities  were  taking  possession  of 
the  building  the  piazza  was  full  of  people  who 
loudly  expressed  their  indignation  and  disapproba- 
tion of  the  injustice.  The  urgent  need  of  the  mis- 
sion in  Rome,  it  was  evident,  was  a  proper  house  of 
worship.  The  Board  authorized  the  correspond- 
ing secretary  to  adopt  some  measures  looking 
toward  this  end,  and  at  the  same  meeting  a  letter 
was  read  stating  the  determination  of  Mrs.  Gillette, 
of  New  York,  and  Mrs.  Patton,  of  Philadelphia,  to 
procure  funds  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  build- 
ing for  the  recently  constituted  Baptist  church  in 
Rome.  The  Board  made  grateful  acknowledg- 
ment of  this  kind  offer  and  signified  its  willingness 
to  co-operate  with  them  in  any  way  desired.  It 
was  deemed  advisable  that  one-half  the  amount 
needed  for  the  chapel  should  be  raised  in  the 
South.  Doctor  Cote  was  present  at  the  Conven- 
tion of  1872,  and  delivered  an  address  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  mission  at    Rome.      In  response  to 


1 86     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

an  appeal  from  Doctor  Tupper,  secretary  of  the 
Board,  pledges  amounting  to  more  than  ^20,000 
were  received  for  the  chapel.  On  May  20,  1872, 
Rev.  Geo.  C.  Lorimer,  of  Boston,  was  appointed  a 
missionary  to  Italy,  with  authority  to  raise  means 
to  erect  a  church  in  Rome  and  to  superintend  its 
construction.  Doctor  Lorimer  declined  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  Italian  mission,  but  accepted  the 
appointment  to  raise  funds  for  the  chapel  and  gra- 
tuitously rendered  valuable  service. 

Troubles  arose  in  the  church  at  Rome,  and  the 
urgent  need  of  an  American  missionary  of  piety, 
discretion,  ability,  and  business  qualifications  was 
apparent.  In  this  emergency  the  services  of  Dr. 
J.  B.  Jeter  were  secured  as  special  commissioner. 
These  troubles,  of  a  grave  and  perplexing  nature, 
resulted  in  the  dismissal  of  Signor  Gioja  and  the 
severing  of  Doctor  Cote's  connection  with  the 
Board,  though  from  no  charge  affecting  his  moral 
character  or  his  capacity  as  a  missionary.  After  a 
survey  of  the  field  Doctor  Jeter  reported  the  pros- 
pect very  encouraging.  The  provincial  churches 
were  in  a  pros^Dcrous  condition  and  he  was  favora- 
bly impressed  with  the  provincial  evangelists. 

The  Board  feeling  it  imperative  to  have  a  per- 
manent superintendent  of  missions  in  Italy,  began 
to  look  about  for  a  man  to  fill  this  responsible  pos- 
ition. They  settled  upon  Dr.  George  B.  Taylor, 
then  pastor  at  Staunton,  Va.,  who  having  signi- 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  1 8/ 

fied  his  willingness  to  go,  was,  on  March  3,  1873, 
unanimously  appointed  missionary  to  Italy.  It 
was  no  easy  task  to  quiet  troubles  in  Rome,  train 
native  preachers,  organize  undisciplined  churches, 
foster  the  work  already  begun,  and  press  forward 
into  new  fields  of  usefulness.  Doctor  Taylor 
seemed  peculiarly  adapted  for  this  work,  and  almost 
thirty  years  of  faithful,  untiring,  and  successful 
effort,  have  justified  the  exalted  opinion  the  Board 
then  formed  of  him. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Doctor  Taylor  the  mis- 
sion rejoiced  in  the  accession  of  Professor  Cocorda,of 
Milan,  a  man  of  thorough  classical  and  theological 
training,  a  pupil  of  Gaussen  and  D'Aubigne,  and 
an  experienced  teacher.  He  had  labored  success- 
fully with  the  Waldenses  and  with  the  Free  Church, 
but  havingadopted  Baptist  views,offered  his  services 
to  the  Foreign  Mission  Board.  Milan  was  the  cen- 
ter of  Italian  learning  and  culture  and  an  impor- 
tant point  to  be  occupied.  Doctor  Taylor  visited  it 
and  addressed  the  little  band  of  Christians  who  had 
been  studying  the  subject  of  baptism,  setting  before 
them  the  nature  and  basis  of  the  peculiar  views  of 
Baptists.  It  was  found  that  they  agreed  with  him 
in  conviction  and  a  regular  Baptist  church  was 
soon  organized. 

During  his  first  year  of  service  in  Italy  Doctor 
Taylor  made  several  tours  among  the  provincial 
churches  where  he  found  much  to  encourage  him. 


155     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

At  La  Tour  the  church-members  were  scattered 
for  miles  around,  but  about  thirty  gathered  in  the 
evangelist's  dwelling,  where  a  service  exquisite  in 
its  simplicity  was  held.  Each  person  had  a  Bible  and 
a  hymn  book  and  almost  every  brother  took  part, 
either  praying,  reading,  or  speaking.  The  church 
was  bound  together  by  mutual  affection.  It  had 
many  difficulties  and  enemies.  Unbelievers,  Rom- 
anists, Waldensians,  and  even  Mormons  opposed 
it.  At  Bologna  Doctor  Taylor  met  the  evangelists 
who,  with  a  view  of  forming  each  other's  acquaint- 
ance and  conferring  with  him,  convened  there. 
The  influence  of  this  meeting  was  full  of  signifi- 
cance, being  the  first  of  the  kind  ever  held  by  the 
Italian  brethren.  A  valuable  acquisition  to  the 
Italian  Mission  was  Enrico  Paschetto,  a  young 
minister  of  good  education  just  finishing  his  course 
at  Geneva.  When  Professor  Cocorda  took  charge 
of  the  church  in  Rome  in  October,  1874,  Signor 
Paschetto  succeeded  him  at  Milan. 

The  caution  and  moderation  of  Doctor  Taylor's 
report  to  the  Convention  of  1875,  precluded  the 
possibility  of  an  overestimate  of  the  present  success 
or  future  prospects  of  the  mission.  Much  injury 
had  been  done  by  the  glowing  accounts  sent  by  the 
early  missionaries.  When  the  Italian  army  entered 
Rome  and  the  dream  of  Italian  liberty  and  unity 
had  become  a  reality,  enthusiastic  Christian  work- 
ers rushed  in,  zealous  to  preach  the  word  in  Rome. 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  1 89 

They  were  gladly  received  by  the  people,  eager  to 
taste  of  freedom  and  eat  of  its  forbidden  fruit. 
Many  persons  in  order  to  show  their  freedom 
turned  from  Romanism  to  Protestantism,  not  be- 
cause they  were  in  heart  Protestants,  but  simply 
to  be  anti-Romanists.  These  enthusiastic  workers 
were  deceived  by  what  they  witnessed  and  guided 
by  hope  and  desire  rather  than  by  judgment,  mis- 
took the  enjoyment  of  freedom  for  religious  fervor. 
It  was  a  natural  mistake,  but  none  the  less  lament- 
able. When  troubles  arose  it  became  evident  that 
much  of  the  work  had  been  useless  and  that  an 
almost  new  and  different  one  must  be  begun. 
Many  brethren  at  home  who  had  been  led  to  expect 
great  results,  were  so  grievously  disappointed  that 
it  was  long  before  they  could  realize  that  a  new 
and  vigorous  work  was  being  done  on  more  stable 
foundations. 

Having  the  opportunity  to  rent  one  of  the  most 
eligible  halls  in  the  city  of  Rome,  Doctor  Taylor 
secured  it  for  two  years.  It  was  centrally  located  in 
the  square  where  the  Italians  gathered  in  great  num- 
bers on  the  Sabbath.  Three  services  were  held  on 
the  Lord's  Day  and  two  during  the  week.  The  morn- 
ing meeting  on  Sunday  was  in  the  nature  of  a  Sun- 
day-school and  prayer  meeting  combined.  Doctor 
Taylor  and  Professor  Cocorda  each  taught  a  Bible 
class  of  ten  or  fifteen  persons  in  Italian  and  French 
respectively.   In  the  night  school  each  had  a  class  of 


190     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

fifty  young  men, — Doctor  Taylor  teaching  in  Italian 
and  Professor  Cocorda  in  French.  The  New  Testa- 
ment was  the  principal  text-book.  The  young  men 
seemed  to  be  of  a  very  good  class,  some  of  them 
being  students  in  the  university.  A  new  church 
was  organized  in  Rome  on  May  23,  1875.  Prior  to 
the  organization  five  persons  were  baptized  in  the 
baptistery  constructed  in  the  basement  of  the 
church.  These,  with  six  of  the  original  members 
of  the  church  in  Rome,  Professor  Cocorda  and  his 
wife  and  Doctor  Taylor,  signed  the  covenant  and 
constituted  the  new  church.  Trastevere,  where 
the  original  church  had  been  located,  and  which 
had  been  maintained  as  an  outstation,  was  aban- 
doned. 

The  publication  of  a  journal,  in  which  Baptist 
principles  might  be  defended  and  explained,  was 
deemed  advisable  and,  in  January,  1 876,  Doctor  Tay- 
lor commenced  the  issue  of  a  small  monthly  journal 
entitled  //  Scviinatore  ("The  Sower"),  a  name 
suggestive  of  the  work  that  Doctor  Taylor  and  his 
assistants  were  trying  to  do  in  Italy.  It  contained 
articles  on  denominational  tenets.  Baptist  history, 
and  questions  of  church  life  and  evangelization.  A 
most  interesting  series  of  articles  consisting  of 
original  investigations  concerning  Baptist  history 
made  in  the  archives  of  the  Venetian  Inquisition, 
was  contributed  by  Signor  Bellondi.  "  The  Sower" 
was  of  unquestioned  value  in  confirming  the  faith  of 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  I9I 

some  and  convincing  others.  There  were  a  number 
of  subscribers  in  Italy  and  among  the  forty  thou- 
sand Italian  speaking  persons  in  Alexandria  and 
Cairo. 

The  mission  at  Venice  was  organized  under 
peculiarly  favorable  circumstances.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1876  Doctor  Taylor  visited  Venice  where 
he  met  Signor  Bellondi,  who  was  supported  as  an 
independent  missionary,  principally  to  the  Jews. 
His  work  had  been  conducted  on  a  generous  scale. 
He  had  a  fine  hall,  a  piano,  and  a  master  of  music 
as  his  assistant.  He  used  gospel  songs  composed 
by  himself  and  set  to  music  by  his  leader  of  sing- 
ing. Having  become  convinced  of  the  scriptural- 
ness  of  believer's  baptism,  he  expressed  to  Doctor 
Taylor  the  desire  to  labor  with  him  and  was 
accepted  as  an  evangelist  in  1876.  Possessed  of 
great  zeal  and  earnestness  he  has  proved  a  faithful 
servant  of  the  Board.  A  church  was  soon  consti- 
tuted of  those  who  had  been  converted  by  his 
efforts  and  who  shared  his  views  concerning 
baptism. 

The  Italian  Mission  has  been  fortunate  in  secur- 
ing pastors  and  evangelists  of  learning,  piety,  stead- 
fast faith,  and  courage  to  endure  persecution  for 
the  sake  of  the  gospel.  In  addition  to  his  labors 
in  the  Waldensian  valleys,  the  evangelist  Ferraris 
made  two  journeys  into  France  and  Switzerland 
where,  in  spite  of  petty  persecution,  he  did  much 


192     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

to  disseminate  the  truth.  Forty-six  were  baptized 
as  a  result  of  his  efforts,  some  of  them  in  France 
and  others  in  Italy.  A  valuable  addition  received 
from  the  Free  Church  was"  Signor  Colombo,  of 
Taranto.  While  on  a  visit  to  Bari,  Doctor  Taylor 
made  the  journey  to  this  little  city  situated  on  a 
rock  in  the  sea  and  had  an  interesting  conversation 
with  the  minister  who  told  him  of  the  opposition 
he  had  encountered  and  also  of  the  remarkable 
work  he  had  accomplished  in  Rocca  Imperiale, 
where  the  priest  had  embraced  the  evangelical 
cause,  and  had  been  followed  by  a  large  part  of  the 
population.  Soon  after  this  visit  Signor  Colombo 
was  baptized  by  Evangelist  Basile  at  Bari.  He 
was  sent  to  Naples  to  assist  in  a  Baptist  work 
begun  by  Count  Oswald  Papengouth,  a  wealthy 
and  pious  Russian  nobleman  who  had  been  con- 
verted in  London  under  the  preaching  of  Baptist 
Noel.  After  a  time  Count  Papengouth  turned  over 
half  the  work  to  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  and 
Signor  Colombo  was  given  charge  of  it. 

Another  acquisition  from  the  Free  Church  was 
welcomed  in  the  person  of  Signor  Volpi,  pastor  at 
Bari,  where  he  and  his  deacon  were  baptized  by 
Signor  Basile.  Signor  Volpi  was  put  in  charge  of 
the  church,  while  Signor  Basile  removed  to  Bar- 
letta  to  open  a  new  station.  Here  an  interesting 
work  had  been  begun  twelve  years  before  by 
Gianinni,  but  was  broken  up  by  a  cruel  massacre. 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  193 

Signor  Basile  had  the  names  of  a  few  survivors  of 
the  slaughter  of  1866,  given  him  by  Gianinni, 
who  welcomed  him  cordially.  To  these  faithful 
ones  he  explained  the  object  of  his  visit.  They 
appreciated  his  interest,  but  feared  he  was  com- 
ing to  impose  human  systems  or  rules  upon  them 
and  were  jealous  of  their  liberty  in  Christ.  He 
disabused  their  minds  of  this  impression,  and  soon 
afterward  eight  persons,  all  of  whom  had  been 
tried  in  the  furnace  of  persecution,  gathered  in  a 
meeting,  their  faces  radiant  with  joy.  Many  had 
neither  Bible  nor  Testament,  the  priests,  through 
relatives,  having  sequestered  them.  The  priests 
and  friars  hearing  of  this  new  movement,  ordered 
prayers  for  the  undoing  of  the  heretics. 

The  purchase  of  a  most  desirable  locale,  or 
headquarters,  in  the  city  of  Rome  was  concluded 
in  April,  1878.  By  competent  judges  it  was  de- 
clared to  be  the  best  place  in  the  whole  city  for 
mission  premises.  It  is  on  one  of  the  great  thor- 
oughfares, two  hundred  yards  from  the  Pantheon 
and  one  hundred  yards  from  the  University  of 
Rome.  The  building  contains  rooms  for  the  mis- 
sionary's family  and  a  chapel,  simply  and  neatly 
fitted  up.  It  was  dedicated  in  November,  and 
Doctor  Taylor  rejoiced  in  the  possession  of  a  per- 
manent home  for  the  Italian  church.  About  $10,- 
000  was  needed  to  cover  the  cost  of  the,  house 
and   the   necessary  improvements.      Learning    of 


194     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

this  deficit  in  the  amount  needed  for  the  chapel, 
the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  passed  a 
resolution  at  the  anniversaries  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
in  1878,  commending  this  project  to  the  liberality 
of  Northern  Baptists  and  welcoming  any  suitable 
representative  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention 
who  should  be  appointed  to  raise  money  in  the 
North.  The  Foreign  Mission  Board  gratefully 
acknowledge  this  action  of  the  Missionary  Union 
and  appointed  Dr.  William  Hague  as  its  repre- 
sentative. Some  months  later.  Doctor  Hague, 
having  accepted  a  pastorate.  Doctor  Taylor  was 
recalled,  chiefly  to  collect  funds  for  this  purpose. 

There  was  great  need  of  chapels  at  all  the  sta- 
tions. Doctor  Harris,  of  Richmond,  during  a  visit  to 
Italy,  wrote  in  regard  to  the  places  of  worship 
that  not  one  of  them  could  properly  be  termed  a 
chapel,  or  even  a  meeting-house,  and  that  neat 
and  simple  rooms,  fitted  up  with  convenient  ar- 
rangements for  preaching  and  administering  the 
ordinances,  would  add  very  much  to  the  useful- 
ness of  the  missionaries.  Doctor  Taylor  also 
made  earnest  appeals  for  chapels  at  the  most  im- 
portant stations,  as  the  excellent  chapels  of  the 
Pedobaptists,  contrasted  with  the  miserable  rooms 
occupied  by  the  Baptist  missionaries,  placed  the 
latter  at  a  serious  disadvantage  and  gave  an  unfa- 
vorable impression  of  the  zeal,  liberality,  and  high 
purpose  of  those   who  were   connected    with  the 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  1 95 

work.  Modest  halls  of  churchlike  style  and, 
where  possible,  with  rooms  for  a  family,  were  de- 
manded to  meet  the  need. 

June  lo  and  ii,  1882,  the  church  just  com- 
pleted in  the  new  and  promising  station  of  Torre 
Pellice,  was  set  apart  for  the  worship  of  God.  The 
services  were  impressive  and  the  chapel  was 
opened  free  from  debt.  Signor  Cocorda,  who  had 
charge  of  the  work  at  this  time,  said  the  influence 
of  the  chapel  had  increased  in  some  the  hatred 
against  Baptists,  in  others  the  conviction  that  con- 
science is  free,  and  in  yet  others  the  desire  to  in- 
form themselves  as  to  Baptist  principles. 

The  first  great  need  of  the  mission  being  thus 
partially  supplied  by  the  chapels  at  Rome  and 
Torre  Pellice,  a  second  ne.ed  was  also  soon  to  be 
met.  Doctor  Taylor  had  been  very  anxious  to 
have  a  young  missionary  to  assist  him,  so  that  if 
he  should  be  laid  aside  for  any  cause,  there  would 
be  some  one  to  take  charge  of  affairs.  In  N-o- 
vember,  1880,  his  desire  was  fulfilled  by  the  ar- 
rival in  Rome  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  John  H.  Eager. 
Mr.  Eager's  missionary  convictions  were  almost 
simultaneous  with  his  determination  to  be  a  min- 
ister and  took  such  firm  hold  of  his  life  that  for 
years  scarcely  a  day  passed  when  it  was  out  of  his 
thought  or  purpose.  He  was  accepted  by  the 
Board  as  a  missionary  to  China,  but,  with  his  own 
free  consent,  was  transferred  to  Italy  in  response 


196     MISSIONARY    W0RK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

to  the  urgent  appeals  that  came  from  that  mission. 
Mr.  Eager  located  in  Rome,  where,  while  learning 
the  language,  he  could  assist  Doctor  Taylor  and 
become  familiar  with  the  policy  of  the  mission. 

The  year  1883-84  brought  to  the  Italian  Mis- 
sion its  full  share  of  trials  ;  among  these  was  the 
defection  from  orthodoxy  of  Signor  Cocorda  and 
his  consequent  separation  from  the  work.  A  se- 
vere loss  was  sustained  in  the  death  of  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor, which  occurred  in  March,  1884.  She  was  be- 
loved by  all  who  came  under  the  influence  of  her 
Christian  spirit,  and  friends  of  many  nations  and 
creeds  and  of  no  creed  vied  with  each  other  in 
kindness  and  demonstrations  of  affection.  The 
eleven  years  of  her  life  in  Italy  were  full  of  care 
and  sacrifice,  and  only  eternity  will  reveal  what 
the  mission  owes  to  her  unselfish  devotion  to  its 
interests.  In  the  midst  of  trial  and  distress  there 
were  some  encouragements  for  the  saddened  mis- 
sionary. He  had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming 
among  his  corps  of  fellow-workers  Signor  Nicolas 
Papengouth,  son  of  the  missionary  Count  Papen- 
gouth,  of  Naples,  a  young  man  of  culture  and  de- 
votion, and  highly  commended  as  a  missionary  by 
Mr.  Spurgeon.  Doctor  Taylor  was  also  greatly 
cheered  by  the  sanctifying  power  of  the  Spirit 
manifested  among  the  brethren  in  Rome,  leading 
them  to  give  up  Sunday  labor,  renounce  work 
which  might  injure  their  Christian  standing,  and 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  1 9/ 

engage  in  practical  love  for  the  sick,  the  widow, 
the  orphan,  and  the  cause  of  Christ. 

The  Apostolic  Baptist  Union  was  consummated 
in  April,  1884.  The  pastors  and  evangelists  of 
nearly  all  the  Baptist  churches  in  Italy,  as  well  as 
the  representatives  of  three  Boards,  met  in  coun- 
cil and  initiated  plans  for  promoting  Baptist  prin- 
ciples. Among  these  plans  was  the  establishment 
of  a  paper,  "//  Testimonio,"  wherein  Baptist 
principles  might  be  taught  and  defended.  This 
paper  is  said  to  have  proved  a  fearless,  faithful, 
and  loving  witness  to  the  truth,  and  to  have  won 
the  respect  even  of  opponents.  At  this  time 
Baptists  had  to  endure  bitter  denunciation  and 
calumny,  not  only  from  Romanists,  but  from  Pedo- 
baptists  as  well.  Those  who  refused  to  relinquish 
their  peculiar  views  in  order  to  form  an  Italian 
church  were  denounced  as  narrow  and  sectarian, 
and  of  necessity  the  Baptists  fell  under  this  de- 
nunciation. 

The  health  of  Doctor  Taylor  having  become 
seriously  impaired,  he  was  granted  leave  of  ab- 
sence for  two  years.  Doctor  Eager  took  charge 
of  the  work,  the  outlook  for  which  was  encourag- 
ing. There  was  a  growing  desire  toward  self- 
support  among  the  churches,  weekly  collections 
were  taken,  and  though  the  amounts  contributed 
were  small,  it  was  a  beginning  toward  inde- 
pendence.      Four    colporters,    supported    by    the 


1 98     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

churches,  distributed  thousands  of  tracts  and 
preached  publicly  and  privately  to  hundreds  of 
persons.  Signor  Arbanasich,  who  had  been  for 
some  time  teacher  and  assistant  preacher  at  Rome, 
removed  to  Cagliari,  in  Sardinia,  where  Signor 
Cossu  had  been  laboring  for  ten  years.  Cagliari 
was  an  important  seaport,  and  he  opened  a  work 
among  the  English,  French,  German,  Swedish, 
and  Italian  sailors  who  yearly  visited  the  city. 
He  also,  with  the  aid  of  two  colporters,  visited 
most  of  the  towns  of  Southern  Sardinia,  where 
many  Bibles  were  sold  and  tracts  distributed. 
Among  the  hopeful  signs  which  Doctor  Eager  re- 
ported to  the  Convention  of  1887,  was  that  the 
eyes  of  thousands  of  people  all  over  Italy  had 
been  opened,  their  prejudices  conquered,  and 
kindly  feelings  awakened  for  the  evangelicals  and 
the  truths  they  preach. 

While  on  a  visit  to  the  United  States,  Doctor 
Eager  raised 'nearly  $5,000  as  a  chapel  fund,  and 
a  portion  of  this  amount  was  appropriated  to  a 
chapel  in  Carpi.  The  evangelist  in  charge  super- 
intended the  construction  of  the  building,  and  thus 
secured  a  well-arranged  chapel,  with  an  apartment 
attached  for  the  evangelist,  at  small  cost.  The 
dedication  of  the  chapel  was  an  event  in  the  town 
and  large  congregations  were  in  attendance.  Sig- 
nor Mattel  spoke  with  power  and  feeling  on  the 
theme,  "  Human  Ills  and  Their  Remedy." 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  199 

Journeying  from  place  to  place,  visiting  the 
churches,  Doctor  Taylor  found  many  opportunities 
to  present  the  truth  to  his  fellow-travelers,  often 
opening  the  way  by  a  gift  of  tracts.  Among 
other  interesting  experiences  was  a  conversation 
with  a  young  engineer  who,  with  his  mother,  en- 
tered his  compartment.'  The  young  man  was  an 
ardent  Romanist,  but  seemed  anxious  to  talk  about 
the  differences  between  his  belief  and  that  of  his 
fellow-traveler.  After  a  long  discussion,  in  which 
Doctor  Taylor  dwelt  upon  the  spiritual  aspect  of 
the  question,  seeking  to  arouse  his  conscience  to 
the  need  of  personal  relation  with  God  through 
Christ,  the  young  man  pleaded  for  images  to  help 
the  worship  of  the  ignorant.  In  reply,  Doctor 
Taylor  quoted  the  second  commandment,  taxed 
Romanism  with  idolatry,  and  added  that  the 
Church  of  Rome  had  eliminated  the  second  com- 
mandment and  cut  one  of  the  others  in  two  to 
make  ten.  This  was  some  of  Doctor  Taylor's 
wayside  sowing  which  often,  doubtless,  fell  into 
good  ground  and  brought  forth  fruit. 

The  gifts  of  the  churches  in  Italy  may  appear 
insignificant  as  compared  with  the  amount  spent 
upon  the  field,  yet  the  principle  of  self-help  had 
been  recognized  and  all  the  churches  contributed 
something  toward  their  local  expenses  and  several 
contributed  toward  the  work  of  evangelization. 
More  might  have  been  raised  had  the  evangelists 


200     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

been  less  timid,  but  in  view  of  the  extortions 
of  the  Church  of  Rome  and  the  manipulations  of 
the  priests,  it  was  not  surprising  that  they  hesi- 
tated to  press  the  matter  of  giving.  There  was  a 
natural  reaction  from  a  system  under  which  every 
religious  privilege  had  its  price,  and  considering 
this  fact,  remarkable  progress  had  been  made. 
The  missionaries  rejoiced  in  many  manifestations 
of  Christian  grace  among  the  church-members. 

The  opening  for  evangelistic  work  in  Sardinia 
seemed  very  fair.  One  of  the  colporters  on  the 
island  wrote  that  he  had  suffered  no  persecution 
and  the  people  listened  willingly  when  he  told 
them  of  Jesus.  He  sold  many  books,  distributed 
thousands  of  tracts,  and  secured  many  subscribers 
to  "//  Testimonioy  In  the  little  town  of  San 
Vito,  though  a  priest  lived  there,  one  heard  not  of 
saints  and  madonnas,  but  only  of  God.  In  reply 
to  a  salutation  one  would  receive  a  gracious  smile 
and  the  suggestive  words,  "Go  on  with  God."  If 
at  parting  one  said,  ^^  Aj'rivederci,"  the  immediate 
response  would  be,  "Yes,  with  God."  Three  can- 
didates for  baptism — an  old  man  of  seventy-two 
years  and  his  two  sons — arose  at  midnight  and 
walked  about  twelve  miles  to  receive  the  rite. 
They  beguiled  the  tedium  of  the  journey  with 
songs  of  praise  and  their  faces  were  radiant  with 
joy  when  they  reached  their  journey's  end.  These 
were  the  firstfruits  at  the  little  outstation  of  Sa- 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  201 

liqua.  Another  interesting  conversion  was  that 
of  Signor  Salvator  Pittoria,  who,  though  he  be- 
longed to  a  well-to-do  family  in  the  north  of  the 
island,  had  grown  up  to  manhood,  like  many  Sar- 
dinians, in  utter  ignorance.  Becoming  ashamed 
of  his  ignorance,  he  determined  to  become  an 
educated  man.  He  began  at  once  to  go  to  school 
like  a  small  boy,  disregarding  the  ridicule  of  his 
friends,  and  persevered  until  he  had  secured  the 
superior  diploma,  which  gave  him  the  right  to  teach 
the  higher  classes  in  the  communal  schools.  While 
in  Iglesias,  awaiting  a  change  of  position,  he  en- 
countered a  Baptist  colporter,  a  fellow-townsman. 
The  next  Sunday  he  appeared  at  the  Baptist 
meeting  and  thereafter  was  never  absent.  Each 
day  he  was  with  the  evangelist,  Signor  Tortonese, 
reading,  conversing,  and  praying.  Before  his  de- 
parture to  accept  a  position  elsewhere,  he  desired 
to  be  baptized,  and  after  a  searching  examination 
he  was  admitted  to  the  ordinance. 

In  Florence  too,  the  outlook  was  encouraging. 
During  the  summer  of  1891,  in  spite  of  the  heat 
and  other  disadvantages,  the  congregation  in- 
creased rather  than  diminished,  and  on  August  23, 
Doctor  Eager  rejoiced  over  the  baptism  of  five 
candidates.  A  little  company  of  thirty  gathered 
at  six  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning  and  went  two 
miles  down  the  river  Arno,  to  a  quiet  spot  beyond 
the   limtts   of  the  city.      Under  the  shade  of  the 


202     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

trees  the  morning  service  was  held,  the  rippling 
water  and  the  singing  birds  joining  in  the  paean  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving.  An  old  woman,  a  young 
lady,  and  three  young  men  were  baptized.  The 
young  lady  was  the  daughter  of  Signer  Bellondi, 
and  was  temporarily  in  Florence.  One  of  the 
young  men  was  an  ex-priest,  who  was  developing 
into  an  excellent  Christian  worker,  and  another 
was  a  young  brother.  Carlo  Piccinni,  by  name, 
who  was  doing  excellent  work  in  Miglionico,  over 
toward  the  Adriatic,  south  of  Bari.  In  the  even- 
ing the  company  gathered  in  the  hall  to  partake  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  and  for  once  it  proved  too 
small  for  the  congregation. 

Prior  to  the  baptism  of  Carlo  Piccinni,  Doctor 
Taylor  visited  him  at  Miglionico.  He  found  the 
village  beautiful  for  situation,  but  like  most  of 
these  lofty  Italian  villages  more  poetical  seen  from 
a  distance  than  from  a  nearer  point  of  view.  The 
houses  were  usually  one  story  over  a  cellar  and  the 
streets  were  narrow  and  not  very  clean.  He  was 
welcomed  into  a  comfortable  Christian  home  and 
treated  with  all  possible  kindness.  At  dusk  the 
night  school  gathered,  about  forty  young  people, 
who  were  instructed  by  Piccinni  with  great  tact 
and  wisdom.  This  young  man  of  twenty-three 
had  served  in  the  army  and  while  stationed  at 
Florence  was  led  into  the  light  of  the  gospel  and 
subsequently  embraced    Baptist    views.     After    a 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  203 

year  of  study  with  the  Free  Church  he  returned 
to  his  native  place  and  was  the  means  of  a  religious 
awakening  there.  Partly  owing  to  the  fact  that  his 
family  was  large  and  well  known,  but  chiefly  because 
of  his  own  prudence  in  abstaining  from  controversy, 
he  won  the  confidence  of  the  community.  The  even- 
ing before  Doctor  Taylor  was  to  leave,  a  large 
company  assembled  for  the  evening  service,  but  he 
was  unable  to  leave  his  room.  They  must  needs 
say  good-bye  to  him,  however,  and  filed  through 
his  chamber,  men,  women  with  babies  in  their 
arms,  half-grown  boys,  and  little  girls.  Each  said 
some  kind  word  or  silently  kissed  his  hand  or  cheek. 
It  was  a  rare  and  touching  experience.  He  had 
not  heretofore  met  such  generous  and  disinterested 
hospitality  in  Italy.  In  the  spring  of  1892,  Pic- 
cinni  went  to  Florence  and  married  a  young  girl 
to  whom  he  had  been  engaged  for  some  time.  She 
and  her  family  were  the  means  of  leading  him  to 
Christ.  On  their  arrival  in  Miglionico  they  found 
their  house  full  of  people  met  to  welcome  the  bride. 
A  church  was  soon  organized  at  Miglionico  and 
arrangements  were  made  to  erect  a  building,  toward 
which  the  members  subscribed,  in  materials,  work, 
and  money,  several  hundred  francs. 

The  outlook  at  the  beginning  of  1893,  while 
clouded  by  many  difficulties,  was  not  without 
gleams  of  encouragement.  The  churches  of  Cag- 
liari  and  Milan  joined  themselves  to  Bari  in  paying 


204     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

all  incidental  expenses.  In  Sardinia,  Tuscany, 
Southeastern  Italy,  the  Western  Riviera,  and  the 
Waldensian  valleys,  the  gospel  was  widely  diffused 
through  the  labors  of  colporters  and  evangelists. 
Among  these  colporters  was  a  man  who  had  spent 
fifteen  years  in  England  and  France  as  a  peddler. 
Coming  under  the  influence  of  the  McAll  Mission, 
in  France,  he  was  converted  and  became  eager  to 
carry  the  good  news  to  his  fellow-countrymen.  He 
was  a  calm,  happy,  courageous  Christian,  ready  to 
risk  anything  that  he  might  tell  the  people  of 
Christ.  To  his  great  joy  the  way  was  at  last 
opened.  His  merchandise  enabled  him  to  enter 
many  a  house  closed  to  the  preacher  or  regular 
colporter.  His  work  was  among  the  hamlets  and 
country  houses  that  abound  in  Tuscany.  He 
walked  on  an  average  three  hundred  miles  a  month 
and  visited  not  less  than  twenty  houses  a  day, 
holding  religious  conversation  in  every  house  and 
leaving  tracts. 

In  the  summer  of  1893  a  simple  and  beautiful 
white  marble  baptistery  was  put  in  the  hall  at 
Florence,  the  only  one  in  the  city  except  the 
ancient  one  where  immersion  was  practised 
in  the  early  history  of  the  church.  On  the  Sun- 
day following  its  completion  four  persons  were 
baptized.  The  service  was  solemn  and  impressive 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  many  of  those  present  had 
never    before   witnessed    the    ordinance.     Several 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  205 

persons  after  seeing  it  said  this  one  occasion  had 
convinced  them  that  the  Bible  taught  immersion. 
In  October,  1894,  Doctors  Taylor  and  Eager  went 
to  Miglionico  to  assist  in  the  dedication  of  the 
church.  Two  suits  brought  by  the  clericals  to 
prevent  its  erection  had  been  decided  against  them 
and  the  church,  a  simple  but  beautifully  symmet- 
rical building,  was  completed.  Within,  the  walls 
were  covered  with  frescoes  and  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture well  done  by  a  local  artist,  and  the  baptistery 
was  hewn  from  a  solid  rock.  The  dedication  was 
largely  attended,  despite  clerical  opposition. 

Though  before  the  law  Italy  claimed  religious 
toleration  in  theory  and  religious  liberty  in  fact, 
there  were  many  cases  of  persecution  for  con- 
science' sake  which  no  law  could  reach.  Among 
these  instances  was  that  of  four  men  who  were 
dismissed  from  the  mines  of  Monteponi  because 
they  attended  the  Baptist  church  at  Iglesias.  Two 
of  these  persons  were  thus  brought  to  extreme 
want,  but  they  would  not  be  unfaithful  to  their 
Lord  and  his  word.  One  of  these  four  men,  An- 
tonio Saiu,  had  been  led  to  Christ  in  a  most  re- 
markable way.  A  companion  of  his  won  a  beau- 
tiful book  at  roulette.  It  was  a  New  Testament, 
and  after  trying  in  vain  to  exchange  it  he  put  it  in 
his  pocket.  There  it  seemed  to  burn  him  as  he 
thought  of  carrying  an  accursed  book.  He  offered 
it  to  Antonio,  who  accepted  it  and  carried  it  home. 


206     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

His  wife  was  terror  stricken  at  the  idea  of  having 
an  excommunicated  book  in  the  house  and  he  was 
about  to  put  it  in  the  fire  when  an  old  man  stopped 
him,  saying  it  was  a  good  book  and  he  had  read  it 
for  twenty  years.  "Read  it  first,"  said  he,  "and 
if  you  find  it  bad  there  is  time  enough  to  throw  it 
in  the  fire."  Antonio  kept  the  book  and  began 
to  read  and  study  it  secretly.  Then  finding  so 
much  good  in  it  he  decided  to  read  it  to  his  father 
and  his  wife  ;  they  too  began  to  like  it.  He  car- 
ried it  in  his  pocket  when  he  went  to  work,  and 
one  day,  having  laid  aside  his  jacket  for  a  short 
time,  he  returned  to  find  the  book  gone.  Some 
days  later  he  said  God  sent  him  back  his  Testa- 
ment in  the  mouth  of  a  dog.  He  learned  to  love 
it  more  and  more  and  through  its  teachings  found 
pardon  and  peace. 

The  year  1895  marked  a  distinct  advance  in  the 
gifts  of  the  Italian  churches,  and  Doctor  Taylor 
believed  that  they  had  made  progress,  not  only  nu- 
merically and  financially,  but  also  in  solidity.  The 
missionaries  all  over  Italy  were  cheered  with  a 
brighter  prospect  than  for  years  past ;  the  diffi- 
culties were  no  less  but  the  encouragements  were 
greater  and  the  results  more  tangible.  In  his  re- 
port to  the  Convention  of  1896,  Doctor  Taylor 
made  a  strong  appeal  for  the  establishment  of  a 
work  in  Trieste,  Austria.  Here  was  a  little  band 
of  brethren  whose  zeal  and  long-incr  for  a  minister 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  207 

deeply  impressed  Doctor  Eager  and  himself.  A 
Baptist  lady  from  Milan,  residing  in  Trieste,  had 
been  writing  to  Doctor  Taylor  urging  him  to  send 
a  Baptist  minister  to  the  city  of  her  adoption. 
Her  husband,  Mr,  Washchitz,  was  a  colporter  of 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  and  a 
stanch  Baptist.  He  had  gone  where  the  fire  of 
persecution  was  hottest  and  had  more  than  once 
been  beaten  almost  to  death  for  Christ's  sake. 
Desiring  to  see  the  situation  for  himself  Doctor 
Taylor  visited  Trieste  and  was  entertained  in  the 
home  of  Mr.  Washchitz.  Two  services  were  held 
and  the  people  listened  eagerly,  seeming  hungry 
and  thirsty  for  the  word.  One  man,  notified  by 
telegram  of  the  missionaries'  visit,  traveled  four 
hours'  journey  by  rail  to  attend  the  services.  Mr. 
Washchitz  pleaded  earnestly  for  Austria,  his  na- 
tive land,  whose  soil  had  been  drenched  with  the 
blood  of  Baptist  martyrs,  saying  :  "  Only  send  a 
shepherd  to  look  after  these  sheep  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  I  will  be  the  shepherd's  dog  to  help  him 
all  I  can." 

Doctor  Eager  felt  it  his  duty  to  resign  from  the 
Italian  Mission  in  1896,  and  the  work  was  given 
into  the  care  of  Signor  Galassi,  who  had  had  charge 
of  it  during  Doctor  Eager's  stay  in  the  United 
States.  The  work  continued  to  prosper  under 
Signor  Galassi's  care.  The  church-members  were 
endued  with  the  missionary  spirit  and  were  ready. 


208     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

in  the  meetings  or  elsewhere,  to  speak  for  Christ. 
He  has  proved  himself  an  all-around  man,  for  be- 
sides increasing  his  church,  developing  its  gifts, 
and  doing  excellent  evangelistic  work,  he  has  writ- 
ten several  effective  tracts.  He  is  said  to  be 
equally  able  with  the  pen  and  in  the  pulpit  and 
alike  successful  as  preacher  and  pastor.  His  mode 
of  conducting  meetings  is  full  of  spirit  and  move- 
ment and  his  methods  are  popular,  while  at  the 
same  time  devout  and  edifying.  A  large  evangel- 
istic work  was  carried  on  in  Tuscany  by  Signor 
Galassi,  several  of  his  members,  and  three  col- 
porters,  under  his  supervision  but  supported  by 
an  English  lady.  Difficulty  and  danger  often  at- 
tended this  work.  The  priests  in  Florence  were 
bold  and  overbearing,  and  at  Poggio  and  Carano, 
ten  miles  away,  fanaticism  was  rampant.  The 
evangelist  was  warned  by  the  authorities  not  to 
return  there  and  was  obliged  to  hold  service  under 
ground  with  a  little  band  who,  in  spite  of  bitter 
persecution,  remained  faithful. 

Doctor  Taylor  regarded  his  visit  to  Trieste  in 
the  autumn  of  1897  with  peculiar  joy.  As  upon 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  representatives  of  many  na- 
tionalities gathered  in  the  upper  room,  one  in 
heart  through  the  gracious  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated  and 
four  persons  were  received  for  baptism.  The 
church  met  every  Sabbath  in  the  home  of  Mr.  and 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  209 

Mrs.  Washchitz  and  strangers  were  always  enter- 
tained at  their  table.  There  are  in  Trieste,  not 
counting  foreign  congregations,  only  Roman  Cath- 
olics and  this  little  band  of  Baptists.  Doctor 
Taylor  had  made  all  arrangements  for  a  prolonged 
visit  to  Trieste,  when  the  assassination  of  the  Em- 
press Elizabeth  of  Austria  by  an  Italian  aroused 
such  excitement  he  deemed  it  prudent  to  abandon 
the  plan.  Nothing,  therefore,  was  done  for  Trieste 
during  the  year  1898,  but  the  brethren  in  Italy 
continued  to  contribute  liberally  for  the  ev^angel- 
ization  of  their  fellow-countrymen  in  that  almost 
Italian  city. 

In  his  journeyings  among  the  churches,  Doctor 
Taylor  was  especially  gratified  by  the  progress 
made  at  Gravina.  -The  church  had  rented  a  good 
locale  and  had  paid  the  rent  and  the  cost  of  fres- 
coing, furnishing,  and  adapting  it  to  its  new  uses. 
He  was  present  the  day  it  was  opened  and  took 
part  in  the  impressive  services,  baptizing  five  can- 
didates. Less  than  ten  years  previous  a  single 
evangelist  had  carried  the  gospel  hither  at  the  risk 
of  his  life  while  the  Lenten  preacher  cried  :  "  Say 
with  me,  O  people,  death  to  the  Protestants !  " 
Doctor  Taylor's  missionary  journeys  embraced 
nearly  all  Italy.  In  a  summary  of  his  experiences 
he  said  he  was  much  pleased  with  the  meeting  in 
Milan,  impressed  with  the  tact  and  good  manage- 
ment of  the  evangelist  in  Florence,  and  touched 

o 


2IO     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

with  the  brotherly  affection  shown  him  in  Bari. 
Indeed,  he  says,  perhaps  the  brightest  of  the 
Christian  graces  found  in  the  ItaHan  churches  is 
practical  brotherly  love.  His  visit  to  Sassari  was 
an  agreeable  surprise,  for  though  the  evangelist 
was  half  blind,  subject  to  epilepsy,  and  with  mem- 
ory almost  gone,  he  and  his  had  so  lived  and 
worked  that  a  good  congregation  had  been  gath- 
ered with  persons  asking  baptism.  The  minister 
had  not  forgotten  his  Bible  learned  years  before, 
but  was  able  to  conduct  meetings  excellently. 

During  the  year  1899  the  responsibilities  and 
opportunities  of  the  Italian  Mission  were  enlarged 
by  taking  over  the  work  of  the  English  Baptist 
Missionary  Society  in  the  South,  that  society  wish- 
ing to  concentrate  its  energies  in  the  North  of 
Italy.  This  work  consisted  of  a  church  of  bap- 
tized believers  in  Naples  and  another  in  Calitri,  a 
mountain  town  in  the  province  of  Avellino,  the 
latter  being  famous  in  all  the  country  round  for 
the  observance  of  the  day  of  rest.  The  mission 
also  accepted  a  small  body  of  communicants  and  a 
locale  in  Naples,  turned  over  by  Count  Papengouth 
who  was  leaving  the  city.  Three  new  and  inviting 
fields  providentially  opened  were  also  added :  Con- 
sandola,  in  the  province  of  Ferara  ;  Minturno,  on 
the  Mediterranean  coast,  half-way  between  Rome 
and  Naples  ;  and  Rheggio,  the  ancient  Rhegium, 
on  the  extreme  southern  coast  of  the  Italian  pen- 


THE    ITALIAN    MISSION  211 

insula.  The  gospel  was  proclaimed  to  the  first  of 
these  by  an  independent  colporter,  and  to  the 
other  two  by  home  people  who  had  heard  it  else- 
where and  having  returned  gladly  told  the  good 
news  to  their  fellow-citizens.  The  Italians  travel 
much  and  thus,  as  in  the  early  days,  the  gospel  is 
carried  from  place  to  place. 

One  of  the  latest  additions  to  the  Italian  Mission 
is  Signer  Stanginini,  who  is  proving  himself  one  of 
the  best  and  most  useful  of  all  the  evangelists. 
While  not  young  in  years  he  is  so  in  strength  and 
enterprise  and  has  been  very  successful  in  winning 
souls  to  Christ.  In  June,  1900,  the  Board  ap- 
pointed C.  J.  F.  Anderson,  then  pastor  at  Hert- 
ford, N.  C,  a  missionary  to  Italy.  He  is  said  to 
be  a  man  of  tact,  intelligence,  consecration,  and 
culture,  eminently  qualified  to  become  a  foreign 
missionary.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Jordan, 
of  Hertford,  and  in  October  they  sailed  for  their 
field.  The  congregations  of  Castelletto  and  Torre- 
pellice,  neither  of  which  the  mission  was  able  to 
cultivate  vigorously,  were  given  over  to  the  English 
Baptist  Missionary  Society  in  1900,  but  the  addi- 
tion of  two  new  Baptist  churches  was  a  ground  for 
gratitude.  Forty  years  before,  a  converted  parish 
priest  in  Messina  formed  there  an  evangelical 
church  and  after  ministering  to  it  for  several  years 
went  as  a  missionary  to  India.  His  son  carried  on 
the  work,  supported   by   voluntary    contributions 


2  12     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

from  England.  Having  become  convinced  that 
Baptist  principles  conformed  most  closely  to  the 
Scriptures  he  applied  to  Doctor  Taylor  to  join  the 
mission.  The  young  man  was  well  instructed, 
endowed  with  preaching  ability,  and  full  of  mis- 
sionary zeal.  His  family  was  known  and  esteemed 
in  the  community.  He  with  nineteen  others  were 
baptized.  The  preaching  on  that  occasion  and  the 
baptism  excited  great  interest,  the  large  hall  being- 
well  filled  day  after  day.  On  December  4,  1900, 
Rev.  D.  G.  Whittinghill,  then  pastor  at  Bonham, 
Texas,  was  appointed  a  missionary  to  Italy  to  un- 
dertake the  special  work  of  starting  a  Baptist  train- 
ing school  for  native  preachers,  and  it  was  opened 
in  the  fall  of  1901. 

The  work  in  Italy  has  been  largely  preparatory 
and  success  must  not  be  estimated  by  the  number 
of  converts,  though  as  many  again  as  the  six  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  communicants  reported  in 
1900  have  died  in  the  faith  or  emigrated  to  other 
lands  bearing  their  testimony  to  the  truth.  All 
depends,  humanly  speaking,  says  Count  Papen- 
gouth,  on  the  ground  being  thoroughly  prepared, 
and  the  present  stage  of  our  work  in  Italy  pre- 
cisely corresponds  to  that  period.  The  slow, 
monotonous,  irksome  toiling  in  the  night  is  giving 
place  to  the  dawn  that  announces  the  glorious  day, 
and  the  sowing  with  tears  heralds  a  gospel  har- 
vesting in  joy. 


X 

THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION 

FOR  some  years  prior  to  any  attempt  at  estab- 
lishing a  mission  in  Brazil,  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sion Board  had  been  looking  toward  Central  and 
South  America  as  missionary  fields,  and  when,  in 
1859,  Mr.  T.  J.  Bowen  requested  to  be  transferred 
from  the  Yoruba  Mission  in  West  Africa  to  open 
a  mission  in  Brazil,  ready  consent  was  given.  In 
the  shattered  condition  of  his  nervous  system,  Mr. 
Bowen  feared  to  return  to  Africa,  but  the  climate 
of  Brazil  proved  no  more  congenial,  and  in  1861, 
he  returned  to  the  United  States.  The  obstacles 
to  the  work  seemed  so  great  and  the  prospect  of 
overcoming  them  so  slight,  that  before  ]\Ir.  Bowen's 
return  the  Board  was  considering  the  abandonment 
of  the  enterprise. 

In  1873  a  request  was  presented  to  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  from  a  little  church  of  Americans 
organized  at  Santa  Barbara,  in  the  province  of 
Sao  Paulo,  to  consider  Brazil  as  a  mission  field 
and  the  advisability  of  sending  missionaries  there. 
This  church  was  composed  of  Americans  who  had 
emigrated  to  Brazil  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War 


214     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

and  had  made  it  a  permanent  home.  Mindful  of 
the  failure  of  1861,  the  Board  was  slow  to  under- 
take this  work,  but  in  1879,  after  careful  consider- 
ation, decided  to  accept  the  proposition.  The 
church,  known  as  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Brazil,  numbered  thirty  members.  It  was  self- 
supporting,  but  desired  to  be  received  by  the 
Board  as  an  independent  mission  and  agreed  to 
foster  every  effort  for  the  evangelization  of  Brazil. 
The  pastor,  Rev.  E.  H.  Quillin,  offered  to  accept 
an  appointment  to  the  Brazilians  and  make  no 
charge  for  his  services.  He  was  said  to  be  a  man 
of  ability  and  exemplary  life,  thoroughly  conver- 
sant with  Brazilian  affairs,  esteemed  by  Americans 
and  popular  with  Brazilians.  In  November,  1879, 
a  little  church  was  organized  at  Station  by  twelve 
members  from  the  church  at  Santa  Barbara.  Mr. 
Quillin  was  pastor  of  this  church  also. 

The  Convention  of  1880  authorized  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  to  appoint  additional  missionaries 
to  Brazil,  and  in  January,  1881,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W. 
B.  Bagby,  of  Texas,  sailed  for  that  country.  Both 
were  deeply  interested  in  foreign  missions,  and 
their  attention  was  turned  to  Brazil  by  the  urgent 
appeals  of  General  A.  T.  Hawthorne,  agent  of  the 
Foreign  Mission  Board  in  Texas,  who  had  spent 
there  the  years  succeeding  the  Civil  War  and  had 
become  profoundly  impressed  with  its  need  of 
Christianity.      On  his  arrival   in   Santa    Barbara, 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  21  5 

Mr.  Bagby  reported  the  two  churches  very  weak. 
Some  discouraging  features  were  in  the  outlook, 
but  there  was  also  much  to  encourage.  The  Bra- 
zilians seemed  willing  to  hear  the  gospel ;  but  a 
year  would  be  needful  to  acquire  a  correct  knowl- 
edge of  the  language,  and  meanwhile  there  would 
be  opportunities  to  preach  to  the  Americans,  who 
needed  it  sorely.  He  urged  the  sending  out  of  other 
missionaries  at  once,  as  it  would  be  a  great  advan- 
tage to  commence  work  with  a  larger  force.  In 
the  summer  of  1881  Mr.  Bagby  held  a  protracted 
meeting  that  resulted  in  a  gracious  revival  and  the 
baptism  of  six  converts.  Near  the  close  of  the 
year  he  had  the  pleasure  of  preaching  four  sermons 
in  Portuguese. 

The  year  following,  in  March,  1882,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Z.  C.  Taylor,  also  of  Texas,  were  welcomed 
to  the  mission  at  Santa  Barbara.  Mr.  Taylor's  in- 
terest in  Brazil  had  been  awakened  while  yet  the 
outlook  was  dark  and  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
had  appointed  no  missionaries.  That  interest  was 
fostered  by  correspondence  with  the  Rev.  Richard 
Ratcliffe,  formerly  a  member  of  the  church  at 
Santa  Barbara,  but  who  had  returned  to  the  United 
States  after  having  spent  ten  years  in  Brazil. 
While  on  a  visit  to  Texas,  Doctor  Tupper  encour- 
aged Mr.  Taylor  to  continue  his  preparations,  as  he 
thought  the  Board  would  be  willing  to  send  him 
when  he  was  ready  to  go  with  his  wife,  whose  mis- 


2l6     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

sionary  impressions  were  of  an  earlier  date  than 
her  conversion. 

Letters  from  the  missionaries  urged  attention 
to  the  vast  territory  needing  evangelization,  the 
millions  who  had  never  heard  the  gospel,  and  the 
number  of  men  needed  to  preach  Christ  in  that 
great  country.  After  an  extended  survey  of  the 
field,  Messrs.  Bagby  and  Taylor  decided  to  change 
the  base  of  operations  and  settle  in  Bahia,  a  coast 
city  about  seven  hundred  miles  northeast  of  Sao 
Paulo  and  thirteen  degrees  south  of  the  equator. 
With  a  population  of  two  hundred  thousand,  it 
was  the  second  largest  city  in  the  empire.  It 
was  accessible  by  sea,  railroads,  and  rivers,  and 
there  were  many  large  surrounding  towns  almost 
entirely  unoccupied.  It  had  the  additional  advan- 
tage of  being  one  of  the  most  healthful  cities  on 
the  coast.  When  the  missionaries  removed  to 
Bahia  the  Board  made  no  provision  for  the  church 
at  Santa  Barabara,  hoping  that  it  might  become 
self-supporting  and  doubting  the  wisdom  of  main- 
taining amission  so  far  from  headquarters  in  Bahia 
and  in  a  province  already  occupied  by  another  de- 
nomination. Before  Mr.  Bagby  left  Santa  Barbara 
he  held  a  protracted  meeting  and  the  church  en- 
joyed a  delightful  season  of  revival ;  five  were  bap- 
tized and  the  church  was  greatly  refreshed  and 
strengthened. 

Arriving    in    Bahia,  the    missionaries   rented  a 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  21/ 

large  building  in  the  central  part  of  the  city,  which 
served  as  home  and  church,  the  preaching  hall 
accommodating  about  two  hundred  persons.  On 
the  fifteenth  of  October,  1882,  the  missionaries 
organized  themselves  into  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Bahia,  and  were  ready  to  enter  upon  aggressive 
work.  Early  in  January  they  began  public  serv- 
ices in  the  hall,  and,  although  the  priests  de- 
nounced them  publicly  and  warned  the  people 
against  attending  the  services,  they  continued  to 
come.  Many  read  the  leaflets  and  tracts  dis- 
tributed, and  the  influence  of  the  missionaries 
steadily  increased.  Encouraging  progress  was  re- 
ported to  the  Convention  of  1884.  Twenty  had 
been  baptized  and  the  feeble  church  had  grown  to 
a  strong  body  of  twenty-five.  All  of  the  men  of 
the  church  prayed  in  public  and  were  zealous  in 
inducing  friends  to  attend  the  services.  They 
displayed  great  heroism  in  times  of  persecution 
and  peril.  The  success  of  the  missionaries  was 
such  that  it  could  not  fail  to  arouse  antagonism,  and 
some  soldiers  were  imprisoned  for  attending  Prot- 
estant worship.  Mr.  Bagby  was  knocked  down 
while  preaching,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  arrested 
as  he  was  about  to  administer  the  ordinance  of 
baptism.  The  place  where  Mr.  Taylor  was  accus- 
tomed to  preach  was  stoned,  and  city  officials 
joined  the  mob  in  deriding  the  religion  of  Christ. 
Church-members  were  turned  out  of  their  homes 


2l8     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

and  dismissed  from  business  because  they  pre- 
ferred to  obey  God  rather  than  men.  As  the  year 
advanced,  the  attitude  of  the  people  changed,  and 
in  some  places  all  prejudice  seemed  to  die  out. 
Mr.  Taylor  attributed  this  change  to  the  circula- 
tion of  so  many  Bibles  and  tracts.  A  man  on  the 
streets  of  Bahia  was  heard  to  remark  that  he  had 
never  before  heard  so  much  talk  about  the  Bible 
and  religion  and  the  gospel.  A  government  offi- 
cial said  publicly  :  "  These  men  who  come  from 
the  United  States  teach  us  the  true  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ, — they  do  not  seek  our  money,  as 
the  padres  do,  but  preach  free  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ.     This  is  the  true  church." 

As  soon  as  the  mission  at  Bahia  was  well  estab- 
lished hopes  were  entertained  of  opening  a  mission 
in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  a  center  as  accessible  to  all  the 
southern  portion  of  Brazil  as  Bahia  was  to  the 
northern,  and  a  point  from  which  the  missionaries 
could  look  after  the  church  at  Santa  Barbara. 
This  hope  was  realized  in  July,  1884,  when  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bagby  removed  to  Rio,  leaving  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Taylor  at  Bahia.  A  large,  cool,  well-located 
hall  was  secured,  preaching  was  listened  to  with 
attention,  and  the  work  opened  up  encouragingly. 
A  church  of  four  members  was  organized  on  the 
twenty-fourth  of  August,  and  soon  after  this  small 
body  was  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  a  lady 
from   Scotland  and  several  English  people.     One 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  219 

of  these  supported  a  missionary  among  the  Eng- 
lish and  American  sailors  in  Rio,  who  also  united 
with  the  church.  Another  valuable  worker  was 
gained  by  the  baptism  of  Senor  Mesquita,  who 
had  labored  fourteen  years  among  his  countrymen 
in  connection  with  another  denomination.  He 
was  a  zealous,  earnest  preacher,  and  was  accepted 
as  Mr.  Bagby's  assistant.  In  1886  the  church 
numbered  eighteen  members  and  supported  a  col- 
porter  and  an  English  woman  as  a  Bible  reader. 
The  efforts  of  the  missionaries  to  impress  upon 
the  native  brethren  the  duty  of  contributing  lib- 
erally to  the  support  of  the  gospel  met  with  grati- 
fying success. 

The  arrival  of  reinforcements  on  December  31, 
1885,  rejoiced  the  hearts  of  the  lonely  missiona- 
ries in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  The  missionary  party 
consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  A.  Puthuff,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  D.  Daniel,  and  Miss  Mina  Everett.  Messrs. 
Puthuff  and  Daniel  passed  through  similar  expe- 
riences in  their  religious  life.  Both  resisted  the 
call  to  the  ministry,  feeling  that  they  were  lacking 
in  education  and  seeing  no  prospect  of  obtaining 
the  opportunity  to  study.  The  way  was  provi- 
dentially opened  for  them  to  enter  Baylor  Univer- 
sity at  Waco,  and  while  there  the  decision  was  made 
to  offer  themselves  for  the  foreign  mission  work. 
Mr.  Daniel  had  a  peculiar  interest  in  Brazil,  his 
father  having  emigrated  thither  at  the  close  of  the 


220     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

Civil  War  and  several  years  of  his  early  youth 
having  been  spent  there.  Broken  down  in  health, 
Mr.  Taylor  was  forced  to  return  to  the  United 
States,  arriving  early  in  1887.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  Miss  Everett,  who,  equally  broken 
down,  decided  to  abandon  the  field. 

After  becoming  familiar  with  the  work,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Puthuff  removed  to  Santa  Barbara,  thus 
leaving  Mr.  Soper  free  to  take  charge  of  the  mis- 
sion at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  while  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bagby 
returned  home  to  recuperate.  Mr.  Soper  rejoiced 
over  a  work  of  grace  among  the  English-speaking 
people  in  Rio,  though  in  another  denomination. 
His  work  among  the  English  had  enlisted  his 
interest  in  them  and  their  lives  had  been  such  a 
hindrance  to  mission  work.  The  missionaries  were 
often  told  to  Christianize  their  own  people  before 
teaching  the  Brazilians.  Work  among  the  Bra- 
zilians also  showed  signs  of  God's  quickening 
presence. 

On  his  return  to  Bahia,  in  July,  1888,  Mr.  Tay- 
lor found  the  field  in  charge  of  a  native  assistant, 
the  climate  having  proved  so  unfavorable  to  the 
health  of  Mr.  Daniel  that  he  was  compelled  to  go 
to  Rio.  The  work  was  in  a  prosperous  condition, 
and  Mr.  Taylor  began  at  once  to  baptize  converts. 
Among  these  was  a  physician  from  a  neighboring 
city  who  had  visited  Mr.  Daniel  and  told  him  that 
he  had  never  before  heard  a  sermon,  no  colporter 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  221 

had  ever  visited  his  city,  and  he  had  never  read 
any  gospel  literature  except  the  Bible,  He  and 
his  wife  had  been  converted  by  reading  and  study- 
ing a  Bible  which  they  had  found  in  a  distant  city. 
He  invited  some  of  his  friends  to  come  to  his 
house  to  worship  God  and  study  his  word,  and 
twelve  others  were  converted.  The  little  com- 
pany met  regularly  and  resolved  to  take  the  Bible 
for  their  guide  until  the  Lord  should  send  some 
one  to  instruct  them.  This  man  had  been  a 
Romish  zealot,  the  director  of  the  feast  of  Saint 
Benedict,  an  honor  almost  equal  to  the  title  of 
count  or  marquis  in  Europe.  He  removed  to 
Bahia  to  enjoy  church  privileges,  and  before  his 
baptism  began  to  distribute  tracts  and  books.  Be- 
fore the  close  of  the  year  1888,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J. 
A.  Barker  were  welcomed  to  this  mission,  and  the 
church  soon  rejoiced  in  a  building  secured  by  its 
own  self-denying  effort.  The  members  agreed  to 
raise  $1,000  if  the  Board  would  appropriate  $4,000, 
and  nobly  fulfilled  the  agreement. 

The  great  mining  province  of  Minas  Geraes  with 
a  population  of  three  million,  seemed  to  offer  an 
inviting  field.  The  country  is  mountainous  and 
free  from  the  ravages  of  yellow  fever.  Immigra- 
tion was  pouring  in  and  new  cities  were  springing 
up  in  every  direction.  Mr.  Puthuff  was  anxious  to 
leave  Santa  Barbara  and  devote  himself  to  work 
among  the  Brazilians  and  it  had  been  a  cherished 


222     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

wish  of  his  and  Mr.  Daniel's  to  open  a  new  station 
where  they  might  work  together.  The  Board 
yielded  to  the  desire  of  the  missionaries  and  de- 
cided to  enter  the  field.  Meanwhile  Mrs.  Puthuff's 
health  failed  and  they  were  obliged  to  return 
home.  Soon  afterward  their  connection  with  the 
Board,  as  also  that  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barker,  was 
severed.  The  inhospitable  climate  was  very  detri- 
mental to  the  success  of  the  Brazilian  Mission, 
making  frequent  visits  to  the  States  necessary,  and 
often  forcing  the  missionaries  to  retire  from  the 
field.  Mr.  Daniel  located  in  Juiz  de  Fora,  in  the 
State  of  Minas  Geraes,  a  modern  city  with  wide 
streets  and  a  homelike  air.  The  people  seemed 
more  advanced  than  most  of  the  Brazilians.  A  lit- 
tle church  of  four  members  was  organized  in  1889, 
which  grew  in  numbers  and  in  the  grace  of  giving. 
In  the  midst  of  success  and  encouragement,  Mr. 
Daniel  was  compelled  to  abandon  the  field  owing 
to  his  wife's  enfeebled  health.  The  church  he 
had  founded  in  prayer  and  earnest  effort  was  thus 
left  without  a  missionary.  Mr.  Bagby  visited  it, 
however,  and  endeavored  to  keep  up  the  work.  He 
found  two  or  three  faithful  members,  a  number  of 
interested  persons,  and  three  who  had  been  con- 
verted under  Mr.  Daniel's  ministry  asking  for  bap- 
tism. The  ordinance  had  to  be  administered  at 
night  in  the  river  at  some  distance  from  the  city. 
Amid  cheerless   surroundings   and  a   chilly  rain, 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  223 

these  faithful  believers  went  joyfully  down  into  the 
water  to  be  buried  with  Christ  in  the  likeness  of 
his  death.  The  outlook  seemed  so  promising  that 
Mr.  Bagby  rented  a  small  hall  for  preaching,  and 
left  the  native  brother  who  accompanied  him  to 
carry  on  the  work.  In  the  summer  of  1890  Mr. 
Soper  located  in  Juiz  de  Fora.  He  spent  much 
time  in  reorganizing  and  equipping  the  mission  and 
his  efforts  were  so  far  successful  that  he  was 
enabled  to  rejoice  in  what  he  termed  a  splendid 
mission  house,  in  well-attended  outdoor  meetings, 
and  the  fidelity  of  his  flock,  which  numbered 
eighteen. 

A  change  of  government  involving  civil  mar- 
riage, religious  liberty,  and  complete  separation  of 
Church  and  State,  seemed  to  open  many  doors  to 
the  gospel  and  encouraged  the  missionaries  with 
large  hopes  for  the  future  of  missions  in  Brazil. 
Miss  Emma  Morton  applied  to  the  Board  in  1889, 
to  be  allowed  to  fill  the  place  left  vacant  by  the 
death  of  Miss  Rice,  a  young  missionary  from  Mis- 
souri who  had  succumbed  to  yellow  fever.  She 
was  deeply  interested  in  Brazilian  missions,  entered 
heartily  into  the  work  and  proved  a  valuable  ac- 
quisition to  the  mission  at  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

A  remarkable  instance  of  heroic  brotherly  kind- 
ness was  manifested  by  members  of  the  little 
church  at  Bahia  in  the  summer  of  1890.  Small- 
pox,  a  disease  more  dreaded  in   Brazil  than   any 


224     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

Other  except  cholera,  became  epidemic  in  the  city 
of  Alagoinhas.  Hearing  of  the  distress  caused  by 
it,  some  of  the  Christians  in  Bahia  decided  to  go 
to  the  relief  of  the  sufferers.  Six  men  and  women 
volunteered  and  Mr.  Taylor  accompanied  them, 
the  railroad  furnishing  passes.  They  found  more 
than  a  hundred  cases,  some  huddled  together  in 
old  houses  on  pieces  of  plank  or  mats,  and  some  on 
the  ground.  The  hospitals  were  little  better  than 
places  of  negligence  and  death,  and  the  ignorant 
and  superstitious  people  often  refused  medical 
treatment  and  went  into  hiding  rather  than  be  car- 
ried to  the  hospital.  There  were  only  two  nurses, 
who  at  night  locked  the  doors  and  went  home. 
After  conferring  with  the  authorities  and  the  doc- 
tor in  charge,  Mr.  Taylor  returned  to  raise  money 
to  aid  the  sick.  As  the  epidemic  declined  the 
public  began  to  realize  the  condition  of  affairs  and 
the  Christians  from  Bahia  were  able  to  return 
home  after  having  given  twenty  days  to  alleviating 
the  sufferings  in  Alagoinhas. 

The  year  1891  was  one  of  unprecedented  prog- 
ress in  the  Rio  mission.  The  missionaries  rejoiced 
in  the  baptism  of  forty-four  converts,  the  organiza- 
tion of  three  new  churches,  the  native  Christians 
aroused  and  organized  for  aggressive  work,  the 
extension  of  their  efforts  into  new  fields,  and  a 
bright  outlook  for  the  future  opening  in  every  di- 
rection.    The  political  situation  was  one  of  con- 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  225 

fusion  but  this  did  not  interfere  with  the  progress 
of  the  work.  In  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  there 
were  three  churches  of  foreigners  in  charge  of  the 
Rio  mission.  Two  of  these  churches  had  been 
constituted  by  the  mission  and  were  composed  of 
German  Russians  who  had  fled  from  Russian 
tyranny.  These  were  described  as  earnest  and 
zealous  bodies  greatly  desiring  to  be  used  of  the 
Lord  for  the  good  of  his  cause.  The  third  church 
was  composed  of  North  Americans.  These 
churches  could  not  be  neglected,  for,  if  properly 
trained  and  utilized,  they  would  become  a  great 
help  in  extending  the  gospel  among  their  Brazilian 
neighbors. 

A  very  promising  station  was  opened  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  at 
Campos,  the  center  of  an  inviting  section  for  mis- 
sionary operations.  The  city  had  three  railroads, 
river  navigation  for  steamers,  and  was  surrounded 
by  a  fine  section  of  country.  On  his  first  visit  to 
Campos,  Mr.  Bagby  was  so  encouraged  by  the 
prospect  that  he  decided  to  leave  a  native  brother 
on  the  field  and  through  the  liberality  of  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  at  Rio  the  expense  of  opening  a 
hall  and  furnishing  it  was  promptly  met.  The  at- 
tendance on  public  preaching  was  good  from  the 
first  and  Mr.  Bagby  found  converts  awaiting  bap- 
tism whenever  he  visited  Campos.  These  con- 
verts were  baptized  late  at  night  in  the  Parahyba 


226     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

River.  In  March,  1891,  a  church  of  ten  members 
was  constituted,  four  newly  baptized  believers  were 
received  as  members,  and  one  candidate  was  ac- 
cepted for  baptism.  Thus  the  little  church  entered 
upon  its  work  with  fifteen  members  and  bright 
prospects  ahead.  The  missionaries  were  greatly 
cheered  and  encouraged  during  the  year  1891,  by 
the  arrival  of  six  co-workers ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Entz- 
minger,  who  were  appointed  to  Bahia;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  J.  Taylor  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  ;  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  L.  Downing  to  Juiz  de  Fora. 

The  year  1892  brought  to  the  mission  a  wel- 
come addition  in  the  person  of  Mr.  S.  L.  Gins- 
burg,  who  had  been  a  self-supporting  missionary 
with  the  views  of  the  Congregationalists.  He  is  a 
Russian  by  birth,  and  his  father  was  a  rabbi  in 
that  country.  Mr.  Ginsburg  studied  eight  years 
in  Germany,  and  went  to  London  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  to  become  a  business  man.  He  was  con- 
verted by  reading  the  New  Testament,  and  wish- 
ing to  become  a  missionary  he  was  sent  to  the 
Grattan  Guinness  College,  whence  he  went  to 
Brazil.  Through  conversation  with  Mr.  Taylor,  at 
Bahia,  and  correspondence  with  Mr.  Soper,  he  re- 
ceived more  light  on  God's  word,  and  after  making 
a  thorough  study  of  the  subject  of  baptism,  asked 
to  be  received  into  the  church  at  Bahia.  He 
appeared  to  be  particularly  well  qualified  for  the 
work,  having  had  special  training  and  possessing 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  227 

a  natural  gift  for  languages.  He  is  an  attractive 
speaker  and  a  good  writer ;  his  hymns  in  Portu- 
guese soon  became  popular.  On  the  endorsement 
of  the  mission  he  was  employed  to  work  in  Bahia, 
and  has  fully  justified  the  hopes  his  appointment 
awakened.  Shortly  after  his  appointment  he  was 
married  to  Miss  C.  E.  Bishop,  a  young  English 
woman  also  thoroughly  equipped  for  missionary 
work,  who  had  come  to  Brazil  to  aid  him  in  its 
evangelization.  She  was  rapidly  endearing  her- 
self to  the  mission  by  her  noble  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart  when  she  fell  a  victim  to  yellow  fever. 

An  entrance  into  Amargosa,  one  of  the  best 
commercial  cities  in  the  interior  of  the  State  of 
Bahia,  was  effected  in  a  peculiar  way.  Two  gentle- 
men from  Amargosa,  one  a  captain  and  the  other 
a  colonel,  called  on  Mr.  Ginsburg  one  day  and  told 
him  they  had  come  to  beg  him  to  visit  them  and 
preach  to  the  people  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
They  had  bought  a  Bible  and  several  tracts  from 
a  colporter  who  passed  through  Amargosa,  and 
after  reading  and  re-reading  the  Bible,  had  become 
so  interested  that  they  longed  to  know  more  about 
it.  Seeing  his  address  on  one  of  the  tracts  they 
had  come  to  him  for  more  light  on  the  wonderful 
words  of  the  book.  Mr.  Ginsburg  seized  the  first 
opportunity  to  make  a  trip  to  Amargosa,  and  was 
deeply  gratified  at  his  kindly  reception  and  the  in- 
terest manifested  in  his  message.      Large  numbers 


228     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

attended  the  services,  listening  profoundly  with 
eager  faces  and  bent  heads.  It  seemed,  said  Mr. 
Ginsburg,  as  if  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  awak- 
ing them  from  a  long  sleep.  The  priest  expostu- 
lated with  the  president  of  the  Municipal  House 
for  buying  a  Bible  without  the  bishop's  permis- 
sion and  for  countenancing  Protestants.  The 
president  replied  :  "  Sir  priest,  I  also  have  judg- 
ment and  a  conscience." 

For  the  sake  of  unity  and  mutual  support  the 
several  missions  in  Brazil  organized  a  convention 
in  June,  1892.  Some  changes  and  some  advances 
were  made  by  this  organization.  The  headquarters 
of  the  Minas  mission  were  removed  from  Juiz  de 
Fora  to  Campos,  in  the  State  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  ; 
the  State  of  Espirito  Santo  was  entered  and  a 
mission  founded  in  its  capital ;  Mr.  Entzminger 
removed  from  Bahia  to  Pernambuco,  and  Mr. 
Ginsburg  from  Bahia  to  Nictheroy,  the  capital  of 
the  State  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  There  was  now  a 
line  of  mission  stations  from  Sao  Paulo  in  the 
south  to  Pernambuco  in  the  north.  The  latter 
was  one  of  the  most  inviting  fields  in  Brazil. 
Many  seemed  anxious  to  know  the  truth  of  the 
gospel,  and  members  of  other  churches  especially 
were  stirred  concerning  Baptist  doctrine.  Having 
recovered  from  a  perilous  illness  in  the  States, 
Mrs.  Taylor  returned  to  Brazil  with  her  husband 
in   September,  1892.     Though  unable  to  resume 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  229 

her  former  untiring  efforts,  she  maintained  her 
profound  interest  in  the  work,  and  her  heroic  en- 
durance and  cheerful  patience  rendered  her  pres- 
ence a  benediction  to  the  mission.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Taylor  were  accompanied  by  Miss  S.  E.  Johnson, 
who  was  able  to  begin  work  at  once  in  school  and 
Sunday-school. 

Joy  and  sorrow,  sunshine  and  shadow,  gain  and 
loss,  fell  interchangeably  upon  the  mission  in  Bra- 
zil during  the  year  1893.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Soper 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Downing  were  compelled  by  en- 
feebled health  to  give  up  the  work,  and  Miss  John- 
son, who  was  proving  herself  an  excellent  mission- 
ary, was  forced  to  return  home,  being  unable  to 
endure  the  Brazilian  climate.  The  mission  was 
reinforced,  however,  by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
S.  J.  Porter,  R.  E.  Neighbour,  and  Joseph  Arden. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter  located  in  Juiz  de  Fora ;  Mr. 
Neighbour  went  to  Bahia  to  assist  Mr.  Taylor ; 
and  Mr.  Arden,  with  a  native  helper,  took  up  his 
residence  in  Maceio.  Early  in  the  year  Mr.  Gins- 
burg  entered  upon  his  work  in  Nictheroy.  The 
members  of  this  little  church  were  remarkable  for 
their  faith  and  zeal.  They  had  covenanted  to- 
gether to  pray  for  everything  they  wanted,  and 
Mr.  Ginsburg  became  their  pastor  in  answer  to 
earnest  prayer.  In  the  midst  of  success  and  en- 
couragement the  work  had  to  be  temporarily  sus. 
pended,  owing  to  the  revolution  and  the  bombard- 


230     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

ment  of  the  city.  All  business  was  practically 
stopped,  and  in  many  places  the  people  suffered 
as  if  a  famine  were  upon  them.  There  being  no 
hope  of  resuming  work  in  Nictheroy  for  some 
time,  Mr.  Ginsburg  removed  to  Campos.  Before 
going  thither  he  was  married  to  Miss  Morton,  and 
together  they  entered  upon  their  work  in  this  new 
field. 

From  the  beginning  of  missionary  effort  in 
Brazil,  the  printed  page  has  been  an  invaluable 
factor.  Thousands  of  Bibles  have  been  sold  and 
distributed  by  colporters,  and  through  them  many 
have  been  led  to  seek  the  way  of  life.  They  find 
their  way  into  many  homes  barred  against  the 
missionary  and  sometimes  open  the  way  for  his 
future  entrance.  The  Board,  recognizing  the  im- 
portance of  this  work,  put  one  thousand  dollars  of 
the  permanent  fund  collected  during  the  Centen- 
nial year  into  an  excellent  press  at  Bahia.  A  re- 
ligious journal  for  the  dissemination  of  Baptist 
principles  has  usually  been  maintained.  Soon 
after  his  removal  to  Campos,  Mr.  Ginsburg  was 
enabled  to  open  a  small  printing  office,  and  began 
the  publication  of  a  religious  paper  entitled,  "As 
Boas  Novas  "  ("  Good  News  ").  It  was  published 
as  a  private  enterprise,  but  was  widely  read  and 
was  considered  a  valuable  helper  in  spreading  the 
word  of  God. 

The  imprisonment  of  Mr.  Ginsburg  in  January, 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  23  I 

1894,  while  preaching  with  much  power  and  effect- 
iveness at  San  Fidelis,  made  apparent  the  fact 
that  though  the  constitution  of  Brazil  gave  full 
liberty  to  all  and  promised  to  protect  all  faiths  and 
religions,  in  reality  Rome  still  held  sway  and  the 
missionary  must  sometimes  risk  both  life  and 
liberty  if  he  would  fearlessly  preach  the  gospel  in 
that  country.  Charges  were  brought  against  Mr. 
Ginsburg  and  he  was  commanded  to  desist  from 
preaching.  On  refusing  to  do  so  he  was  im- 
prisoned for  nine  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
the  authorities  finding  the  charges  unsustained, 
released  him.  Some  months  later,  in  July,  Mr. 
Ginsburg  had  the  joy  of  organizing  a  church  in 
San  Fidelis.  Persecution  was  very  severe  but  it 
only  served  to  promote  greater  love  and  unity 
among  the  brethren. 

The  church  at  Campos  was  greatly  hampered 
by  the  need  of  a  better  house,  the  rich  Romanists 
leaving  nothing  undone  to  prevent  the  rental  of 
one  and  the  church  being  too  poor  to  build.  Even 
under  these  adverse  conditions  the  work  prospered 
and  forty-eight  were  received  by  baptism.  Mr. 
Ginsburg  had  an  energetic  co-worker  in  Antonio 
Campos,  who  was  accepted  by  the  Board  as  a 
native  helper.  His  conversion  was  a  remarkable 
one.  Reared  in  the  most  fanatical  of  Roman 
Catholic  countries,  Portugal,  he  knew  nothing 
of  any  other  faith  until  he  was  thrown  in  with  a 


212     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

Methodist  pastor  who  won  his  S3'mpathy  and  gave 
him  the  opportunity  to  contrast  Romanism  with 
Protestantism.  He  began  to  think  the  latter  much 
more  worthy  of  acceptance,  and  in  his  journalistic 
work  in  Oporto,  favored  the  truth  of  evangelical- 
ism and  combated  the  abuses  and  falsities  of 
Rome.  Thirteen  years  passed,  years  of  study  and 
preparation  for  the  final  step.  He  came  to  Brazil 
and  continued  to  attack  Romanism  in  the  papers 
that  opened  to  him  their  columns.  Believing  in 
the  truth  of  evangelicalism  he  was  convinced  of  the 
necessity  of  practising  it,  but  something  inexplica- 
ble held  him  back.  He  knew  that  he  was  not  a 
Christian,  for  there  was  no  fruit  of  spiritual  life. 
In  his  sad  state  he  continued  to  fight  for  pure 
Christianity  and  was  considered  a  Christian.  Be- 
coming involved  because  of  his  journalism,  though 
against  his  will,  in  the  revolution,  he  had  to  leave 
Rio  and  take  refuge  in  the  interior.  In  this  en- 
forced quiet  he  had  time  for  profound  thought.  A 
light  broke  upon  his  understanding  and  brought 
to  his  heart  the  needed  comfort.  About  this  time 
Mr.  Ginsburg  asked  him  to  contribute  some  arti- 
cles for  his  paper.  In  the  correspondence  that 
ensued  he  decided  to  give  himself  completely  to 
God's  service  in  connection  with  the  Baptists.  He 
was  licensed  by  the  church  in  Campos  and  entered 
upon  his  work  with  great  love  for  the  cause  and 
with  increasing  zeal. 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  233 

August,  1894,  witnessed  a  notable  advance  among 
the  churches  in  South  Brazil  ;  representatives  from 
the  six  native  churches  met  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  or- 
ganized the  first  Baptist  Association  in  Brazil  under 
the  name  of  "  The  Union  of  the  Churches  of  Christ 
in  South  Brazil."  The  session  was  a  pleasant  and 
profitable  one.  The  Brazilian  brethren  manifested 
a  lively  interest  in  the  proceedings  and  showed 
that  they  appreciated  the  efforts  being  made  to 
give  the  gospel  to  their  countrymen,  and  realized 
the  importance  of  the  work  before  them.  They 
decided  to  begin  at  once  to  raise  means  for  sup- 
porting a  missionary,  either  in  Brazil  or  on  some 
foreign  field.  The  year  was  not  without  its  sor- 
row and  loss.  In  August  the  Bahia  mission  was 
bereft  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Z.  C.  Taylor  and  by 
the  return  of  Mr.  Neighbour.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter 
were  also  compelled  to  leave  their  field.  Mr. 
Bagby  was  thus  left  alone  to  carry  on  the  work  at 
Rio  and  Nictheroy,  but  though  heavily  burdened 
his  heart  was  made  to  rejoice  over  the  purchase 
of  a  building  for  a  chapel  in  the  city  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro.  For  a  number  of  years  the  church  had 
been  pleading  for  a  house  of  worship  and  the 
women  of  Missouri  were  the  first  to  respond  to 
the  appeal,  desiring  to  erect  a  memorial  to  Miss 
Maggie  Rice  who  had  given  her  life  to  the  Mas- 
ter's work  in  Brazil.  Messrs.  Joshua  and  Eugene 
Levering,  of  Baltimore,  added  largely  to  this  fund 


234     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

and  the  church  was  thus  enabled  to  purchase  a 
building  centrally  located.  The  church  and  friends 
in  Brazil  contributed  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars, 
this  being  used  to  refit  and  furnish  the  chapel. 
The  Baptist  cause  in  Rio  had  been  at  a  serious  dis- 
advantage. Other  denominations  had  not  only 
been  established  much  longer  but  had  large  and 
comfortable  houses  of  worship.  With  a  well- 
located,  comfortable,  and  beautiful  church  build- 
ing the  Baptists  felt  that  they  could  do  much  bet- 
ter work.  In  August,  1895,  the  church  was  dedi- 
cated in  the  presence  of  a  large  audience  that  lis- 
tened with  the  closest  attention.  There  was  great 
rejoicing  over  this  blessing  to  the  Baptist  cause  in 
Rio  de  Janeiro  and  in  Brazil.  The  autumn  of 
1895  brought  to  the  mission  at  Bahia  a  valuable 
worker  in  the  person  of  Miss  Laura  Barton,  a  for- 
mer missionary  to  China,  who  was  married  to  Rev. 
Z.  C.  Taylor  during  a  vacation  visit  to  the  United 
States. 

The  year  1895  was  one  of  widespread  sowing 
and  of  a  glorious  harvest.  Conversions,  baptisms, 
and  listening  crowds  were  reported  from  every 
station.  New  churches  were  formed,  energies 
were  aroused,  faith  was  quickened  into  life,  and 
new  fields  were  entered.  Writing  of  the  outlook, 
Mr.  Bagby  said  that  never  before  in  its  history  had 
the  land  been  so  prepared  and  ready  for  the  mes- 
sengers of  the  Lord  Jesus.     Never  before  had  the 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  235 

people  shown  the  inclination  to  listen  to  the  mes- 
sage of  the  herald  of  the  cross  that  manifested 
itself  in  village  and  hamlet,  in  cities  and  busy 
marts,  in  quiet  retreats  and  on  public  highways. 
He  was  not  blind  to  the  difificulties  in  the  way  nor 
did  he  forget  the  problems  constantly  arising,  but 
believed  that  God's  time  for  calling  this  great 
nation  to  Christ  had  come,  and  with  it  the  voice  of 
his  providence  to  his  people  to  enter  in  his  name. 
Inspired  by  many  tokens  of  God's  favor  the 
missionaries  entered  upon  the  year  1896,  desiring 
to  make  it  a  year  of  earnest  and  successful  effort. 
In  the  Pernambuco  mission  especially  was  it  a 
busy  and  a  prosperous  year.  Two  churches  were 
organized,  one  at  Natal,  port  and  capital  of  Rio 
Grande  del  Norte,  and  the  other  at  Nazareth,  an 
interior  town  of  the  State  of  Pernambuco.  This 
little  church  was  born  amid  bitter  persecution. 
Services  had  been  held  in  a  rented  hall  for  several 
months,  when  one  night  it  was  entered  by  unknown 
parties,  who  took  the  oil  from  the  lamps  and  sat- 
urating the  Bible,  organ,  and  other  furnishings, 
set  fire  to  them.  The  family  living  next  door, 
awakened  by  the  flames  and  the  smoke,  hastened 
to  the  scene  and  succeeded  in  arresting  the  fire, 
but  not  until  the  furniture  had  been  destroyed. 
The  next  morning  there  was  great  rejoicing  in  the 
town  over  the  defeat  of  the  Protestants.  A  few 
days  afterward  Mr.  Entzminger  went  to  Nazareth 


236     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

to  investigate  the  matter.  He  was  met  at  the 
station  by  about  a  thousand  people  armed  with 
clubs,  knives,  and  pistols  to  dispatch  the  heretic, 
but  the  governor  had  sent  soldiers  with  him  and 
the  turbulent  mob  was  converted  into  a  friendly 
escort.  The  attendance  on  the  services  he  con- 
ducted was  greatly  increased  and  a  new  impetus 
seemed  to  be  given  to  the  cause  of  truth.  From 
the  beginning  the  little  church  was  self-supporting 
and  soon  secured  a  lot  and  laid  the  foundation  for 
a  new  chapel.  This  chapel,  erected  at  an  immense 
sacrifice  on  the  part  of  the  members,  was  dedi- 
cated in  August,  1897. 

The  year  1897  was  one  of  unprecedented  pros- 
perity in  the  Pernambuco  mission.  There  were 
one  hundred  and  three  accessions  and  larger  con- 
tributions were  reported  than  ever  before.  In 
five  years  the  mission  had  grown  from  one  little 
church  of  seventeen  members  to  seven  churches 
with  a  joint  membership  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-five.  Two  of  these  churches  were  orga- 
nized in  the  great  Amazon  Valley,  where  two  peo- 
ple from  the  United  States,  whose  hearts  the  Holy 
Spirit  had  touched  and  directed,  had  been  working 
for  several  years.  This  couple,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E. 
A.  Nelson,  were  of  Swedish  parentage,  but  had 
lived  in  Kansas  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Nel- 
son went  out  as  a  self-supporting  missionary  in 
1 89 1,  and  endured   trials,  temptations,  and   priva- 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  237 

tions  that  would  have  daunted  a  less  faithful  soul. 
Mrs.  Nelson,  to  whom  he  was  engaged  when  he 
left  the  States,  went  out  to  Brazil  and  married  him 
in  1893.  They  located  in  Para,  a  city  of  nearly  a 
hundred  thousand  inhabitants  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Amazon.  It  is  an  important  commercial  city,  and 
many  people  are  attracted  thither  by  its  rubber 
industry.  It  is  the  key  to  the  whole  lower  Ama- 
zon. With  a  large  package  of  Bibles,  Testaments, 
and  tracts  under  his  arm,  Mr.  Nelson  would  walk 
up  and  down  the  river  bank  speaking  to  all  who 
came.  To  sailors  from  foreign  countries,  traders 
from  the  interior,  to  all  he  told  the  good  news, 
and  many  were  anxious  to  obtain  the  book  that 
contained  the  wonderful  story.  Mr.  Ginsburg  re- 
sponded to  Mr.  Nelson's  appeal  to  come  and  help 
him  in  the  reaping  time  which  he  felt  was  just  at 
hand.  On  the  second  of  February,  1897,  five 
candidates  were  baptized  in  the  Amazon  ;  for  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  church 
this  mighty  river  was  used  for  this  purpose.  The 
same  day  a  church  was  organized  and  Mr.  Nelson 
was  elected  pastor.  The  whole  Amazon  Valley 
presented  a  promising  field  for  missionary  work. 
It  was  practically  unoccupied,  and  along  the  banks 
of  the  Purus  River  there  were  more  than  twenty 
savage  tribes  who  had  never  seen  a  white  man, 
much  less  heard  the  gospel  story. 

In  his  own  field  at  Campos  Mr.  Ginsburg  had 


238     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

great  cause  for  rejoicing.  In  San  Fidelis,  where 
he  had  been  imprisoned  several  years  before,  a 
chapel  was  finished  and  he  had  the  pleasure  of 
baptizing  seven  candidates.  Among  these  was 
the  coffee  farmer  who  had  built  the  chapel,  and 
his  wife.  While  the  church  was  discussing  plans 
to  secure  a  house  of  worship,  this  man  offered  to 
build  it  if  the  church  would  pay  him  six  per  cent, 
on  the  money  until  his  death,  when  it  should  be- 
come its  property.  On  his  conversion  he  released 
the  church  from  the  interest  promised  and  gave 
the  chapel.  It  was  dedicated  during  the  meeting 
of  the  South  Brazil  Baptist  Union,  which  was  held 
at  San  Fidelis,  and  a  throng  of  people  gathered 
to  the  services.  In  April,  1897,  Mr.  Ginsburg 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  corner-stone  laid 
for  a  much-needed  church  edifice  in  Campos.  The 
work  was  carried  on  with  much  determination  and 
self-denial,  and  in  the  spring  of  1898  it  was  fin- 
ished and  dedicated.  It  was  spoken  of  in  the 
newspapers  as  the  beautiful  evangelical  church, 
and  the  dedication  was  an  event  of  interest 
throughout  the  city. 

Rev.  T.  C.  Joyce,  an  independent  missionary, 
was  baptized  by  Mr.  Ginsburg  on  May  i,  1898, 
and  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Campos.  Mr. 
Joyce  had  gone  out  from  England  as  a  missionary 
of  the  "  Help  for  Brazil  Mission,"  undenomina- 
tional.    After  spending  a  year  at  Pernambuco  he 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  239 

went  to  Passa  Tres,  where  the  church  greatly 
prospered  under  his  leadership.  He  had  been 
immersed  before  leaving  England,  but  conformed 
to  the  wishes  of  his  church  and  received  members 
by  pouring.  Becoming  aroused  on  this  subject, 
and  deeming  it  unwise  to  attempt  a  change  in  his 
church,  he  left  it  and  joined  the  Baptists.  The 
church  in  Campos  was  much  jjleased  with  him  and 
he  gave  promise  of  great  usefulness,  but  after  a 
few  months  of  service  his  health  failed  and  he  was 
compelled  to  give  up  the  work. 

Rev.  C.  D.  McCarthy,  who  had  had  a  similar 
experience  to  that  of  Mr.  Joyce,  was  also  accepted 
by  the  Board  in  1898  and  located  in  Rio,  to  assist 
Mr.  Bagby.  Mr.  McCarthy  was  an  Irishman  by 
birth,  and  after  several  years  spent  in  conducting 
missions  in  England  he  went  to  Spain  as  a  Congre- 
gational missionary.  After  seven  years  he  returned 
to  England  to  be  married  and  while  there,  with  his 
wife,  united  with  the  Baptist  church.  Greatly  de- 
siring to  go  to  South  America  he  accepted  an  ap- 
pointment with  the  "  Help  for  Brazil  Mission,"  but 
on  reaching  the  field  he  found  his  fellow-workers 
opposed  to  the  Baptists  and,  unable  to  fraternize 
with  them,  he  resolved  to  join  his  own  brethren. 
Physical,  mental,  and  spiritual  endowments  fitted 
him  for  a  great  work  in  Brazil.  He  entered  into 
it  with  hope  and  enthusiasm  and  was  especially 
successful  in  winninfr  the  affection  and  interest  of 


240     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

the  young  men,  whose  training  for  usefuhiess  he 
had  so  much  at  heart.  Only  a  few  months  of 
service  were  permitted  to  him,  for  in  February, 
1899,  he  fell  a  victim  to  yellow  fever. 

Two  other  workers  already  on  the  field  were 
welcomed  into  the  Baptist  mission  in  1 898.  They 
were  Misses  Stenger  and  Wilcox,  who  went  out  to 
Brazil  in  1 896,  hoping  to  conduct  a  self-supporting 
school  and  still  have  time  for  missionary  work. 
After  spending  a  year  in  Noa  Friburgo  they 
moved  to  Bello  Horizonte,  the  new  capital  of  the 
State  of  Minas  Geraes,  where  a  better  opening 
offered.  Here,  at  her  own  expense,  Miss  Wilcox 
erected  a  home  and  school  building.  They  found 
school  work  subject  to  many  vicissitudes.  While 
the  people  believed  that  no  schools  were  superior 
to  the  American  schools,  they  objected  to  any  Prot- 
estant teaching.  The  young  ladies  finding  them- 
selves unable  to  accomplish  what  they  had  hoped, 
desired  to  receive  appointment  from  the  Board. 
They  were  highly  recommended  by  the  mission- 
aries on  the  field,  who  were  anxious  to  have  them 
as  co-workers.  School  work  has  never  engaged 
much  of  the  missionaries'  time ;  but  a  member  of 
the  Bahia  Church,  a  rich  coffee  planter,  proposed 
to  Mrs.  Taylor,  herself  an  experienced  teacher, 
that  she  open  a  school,  offering  $5,000  toward  its 
equipment.  Other  members  added  $2,000,  and 
she  was  authorized  to  send  for  the  best  school  fur- 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  24 1 

niture.  An  old  inquisition  building  was  refitted 
for  school  purposes,  and  in  the  spring  of  1898  the 
school  was  formally  opened.  Many  of  the  best 
people  of  the  city,  prominent  educators,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  State  were  present.  The  gov- 
ernor sent  a  band  of  twenty-five  musicians,  and 
the  oration  was  delivered  by  the  leader  of  the 
house  of  representatives.  The  school  opened  in 
May  with  eleven  pupils  and  closed  in  December 
with  seventy. 

Mrs.  Taylor  does  not  believe  in  free  education 
in  mission  schools  and  from  the  first  took  a  very 
decided  position  against  it,  though  she  makes 
some  concessions  to  very  poor  Christians  and  uses 
her  own  judgment  in  occasionally  giving  instruc- 
tion free.  Her  school  is  making  excellent  prog- 
ress and  is  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  city. 
The  urgent  need  of  a  young  woman  to  assist  Mrs. 
Taylor  and  have  charge  of  kindergarten  work  was 
met  by  the  arrival  of  Miss  Alyne  Goolsby  in  the 
spring  of  1900.  She  was  well  prepared  for  her 
work,  having  taught  for  several  years  in  different 
mission  schools  in  Indian  Territory,  and  having 
spent  a  year  in  the  Baptist  Missionary  Training 
School  in  Chicago.  She  entered  upon  her  work 
at  once,  teaching  through  an  interpreter  and  win- 
ning her  way  to  the  hearts  of  the  missionaries  by 
her  interest  and  enthusiasm. 

The  winter  of  1899  brought  to  the  Pernambuco 
Q 


242     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

mission  a  welcome  addition  in  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  E. 
Hamilton,  and  thus  fulfilled  the  long-deferred 
hopes  of  those  patient  and  faithful  missionaries, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Entzminger.  Though  the  year  had 
been  one  of  great  trial  from  ill  health,  persecution, 
and  the  absence  in  the  United  States  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Nelson,  it  had  been  one  of  the  best  years  in 
the  history  of  the  mission.  There  was  an  increase 
in  the  membership  of  something  over  a  hundred 
and  the  contributions  from  four  of  the  little 
churches  aggregated  a  little  less  than  a  thousand 
dollars.  A  church  of  thirty  members  was  organ- 
ized in  the  interior  of  the  State  of  Pernambuco, 
on  a  farm.  The  owner  of  the  farm  brought  bricks 
from  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  on  his  head 
and  built  a  large  hall  at  the  side  of  his  house 
which  he  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God. 

Persecution  did  not  cease  with  this  year.  In 
the  spring  of  1900  a  band  of  more  than  two  hun- 
dred armed  men  went  to  attack  a  company  of 
twenty  men,  women,  and  children,  who  were  gath- 
ered for  religious  worship  at  night  in  the  city 
town  of  Bom  Jardim,  about  eighty  miles  from  Per- 
nambuco. Their  avowed  purpose  was  to  kill  the 
preacher  and  all  his  adherents  in  the  town.  As 
they  were  ready  to  assault  the  house  they  saw 
another  company  approaching,  and,  supposing 
them  to  be  more  worshipers,  fired  on  them.  They 
really  were  another   band  of  persecutors.     As  a 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  243 

result  of  the  mistake  several  were  killed  and  a 
number  wounded.  During  the  confusion  the  peo- 
ple in  the  house  fled  by  a  back  door  and  escaped 
to  the  hills.  Four  were  captured,  imprisoned, 
and  beaten,  to  persuade  them  to  testify  that  the 
Christians  did  the  killing.  Others  were  forced  to 
become  fugitives  for  a  time.  The  governor,  the 
son  of  a  Jesuit,  was  appealed  to,  but  gave  no  pro- 
tection. The  priests,  in  pulpit  and  press,  recom- 
mended the  wiping  out  of  Protestants  and  Protes- 
tantism, "  including  that  ancient  people  now  called 
Baptists."  The  fires  of  persecution,  however, 
only  served  to  kindle  a  flame  of  greater  zeal  among 
the  Christians,  and  a  few  months  later  a  church 
of  thirty-four  members  was  organized. 

On  the  return  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  J,  Taylor  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Downing,  in  the  spring  of 
1899,  they  were  enabled  to  realize  long-cherished 
desires  and  open  a  mission  in  the  city  of  Sao 
Paulo.  By  the  middle  of  June  a  neat  preaching 
hall  had  been  fitted  up.  A  month  later  a  church 
of  eighteen  members  was  organized,  and  the  work 
started  with  great  promise.  Misses  Stenger  and 
Wilcox  removed  here  and  opened  a  small  indus- 
trial school,  thus  affording  an  opportunity  to  reach 
families  w^ho  were  unwilling  to  attend  religious 
service.  After  a  year  in  Sao  Paulo  they  resigned 
from  the  work  and  returned  home.  The  Santa 
Barbara  mission,  among  the  American  colonists. 


244     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

passed  from  the  Rio  mission  to  the  Sao  Paulo 
mission,  and  is  kept  up  by  monthly  visits  from 
the  missionaries  of  the  latter  place.  This  field 
comprises  several  groups  of  Americans  too  much 
scattered  to  have  one  place  of  worship.  There 
were  five  stations  among  them,  one  for  people 
speaking  Portuguese. 

All  the  churches  in  Brazil  are  represented  as 
being  in  fine  working  order.  Before  Mr.  Gins- 
burg's  removal  to  Pernambuco  and  during  a  tem- 
porary absence  from  Campos,  the  churches  in  that 
field  met  and  organized  an  Association  at  which  no 
foreign  missionary  was  present.  Mr.  Ginsburg 
regarded  it  as  proof  that  the  Brazilian  Christians 
were  beginning  to  work  for  themselves.  During 
the  year  1900  four  of  the  missionaries  met  in  Rio 
and  decided  that  on  the  first  of  January,  1901, 
there  should  be  opened  in  Rio,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Entzminger,  a  publication  work,  con- 
sisting of  a  journal  and  tract  and  book  depart- 
ment, to  supply  the  Brazilian  missions  with  litera- 
ture. It  was  also  agreed  to  take  monthly  col- 
lections in  all  the  native  churches  for  this  object. 
On  the  tenth  of  January,  1901,  the  first  issue  of 
the  new  paper  appeared,  with  the  title  "  O  Jornal 
Baptista  "  ("  The  Baptist  Journal  ").  It  is  printed 
on  good  paper,  with  clear  type  and  attractive  illus- 
trations, and  presents  a  fine  appearance. 

Rev.  F.  F.  Soren,  a  native  Brazilian,  who  had 


THE    BRAZILIAN    MISSION  245 

been  for  several  years  in  this  country  attending 
William  Jewell  College  and  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary,  returned  to  Brazil  in  Octo- 
ber, 1900,  and  was  chosen  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Rio  de  Janeiro.  A  theological  training  school  has 
been  opened  in  Sao  Paulo,  and  Rev.  J.  J.  Taylor, 
who  has  charge  of  this  school,  is  embarrassed  by 
the  number  of  young  men  clamoring  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  study  for  the  ministry.  Confident  that 
the  Lord  will  provide,  he  will  not  turn  any  away, 
but  promises  to  provide  food,  lodging,  and  books 
for  these  eager  students.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  L. 
Dunstan  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  B.  Deter  were  wel- 
comed to  the  mission  in  the  summer  of  1901. 

Brazil  is  the  most  fruitful  field  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  One 
of  the  last  countries  entered,  it  already  has  the 
largest  constituency  of  any  except  China.  Though 
there  are  still  trials  and  difficulties  and  discourage- 
ments, the  missionaries  feel  that  the  outlook  is 
an  inspiration  to  increased  effort.  Churches  are 
being  organized,  baptisms  are  frequent,  there  is  a 
determined  effort  toward  self-support,  and  the  be- 
neficent, transforming  power  of  the  gospel  is  every- 
where felt.  There  is  still  much  seed-sowing  to  be 
done,  but  the  harvest  time  has  begun  and  is  re- 
joicing the  hearts  of  those  who  have  waited  in 
faith  for  the  verification  of  the  promise,  "  My 
word  shall  not  return  unto  me  void." 


XI 

THE    MEXICAN    MISSION 

MEXICO,  though  one  of  the  most  recent  fields 
entered  by  Southern  Baptists,  has  from  the 
first  enlisted  their  deepest  sympathy  and  interest. 
When,  in  1880,  the  Convention  decided  to  open 
work  in  this  republic,  there  were  already  several 
Baptist  churches  in  existence.  One  of  these,  or- 
ganized by  Elder  James  Hickey,  at  Monterey, 
January  13,  1864,  was  the  first  evangelical  church 
in  the  republic.  It  was  composed  of  five  mem- 
bers, three  of  whom  were  baptized  on  the  day  of 
organization.  One  of  these,  T.  M.  Westrup,  had 
been  preaching  nearly  a  year,  and  by  Elder  Rick- 
ey's advice  was  chosen  pastor  and  ordained  to  the 
ministry.  Within  a  year  eighteen  were  added  to 
the  church  by  baptism.  In  1880,  Rev.  John  O. 
Westrup,  a  brother,  of  T.  M.  Westrup,  who  had 
been  supported  in  Mexico  for  some  months  by 
brethren  in  Texas,  was  accepted  as  a  missionary  of 
the  Board  and  stationed  at  Musquiz,  in  the  State 
of  Coahuila.  On  December  21,  while  visiting  the 
five  or  six  little  scattered  churches,  he  was  brutally 
murdered  by  a  band  of  Indians  and  Mexicans. 
246 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  247 

Rev.  W.  M,  Flournoy  was  appointed  as  the  succes- 
sor of  Mr.  Westrup,  and  in  November,  1881,  was 
ordained  by  authority  of  the  church  at  Laredo, 
Texas.  He  was  accepted  by  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board  on  condition  that  means  for  his  suj^port 
should  be  raised  in  Texas.  Mr.  Flournoy  had  a 
fair  knowledge  of  the  Spanish  language  and  was 
well  posted  in  Baptist  affairs.  He  located  in 
Progresso,  where  Mrs.  Flournoy  opened  a  school 
supported  by  the  Woman's  Missionary  Union  of 
Texas.  She  was  very  successful  and  her  school 
rapidly  increased  in  numbers.  A  school  for  boys 
was  opened  later,  and  in  the  two  instruction  was 
given  to  more  than  a  hundred  pupils.  Mr.  Flour- 
noy's  field  embraced  a  large  territory,  in  which  he 
preached  regularly  and  distributed  many  tracts  and 
portions  of  the  Scriptures,  this  work  involving  con- 
stant traveling.  The  law  of  the  land  afforded  the 
missionary  every  facility,  and  no  obstacle  was 
thrown  in  his  way  except  by  the  priesthood.  The 
people  were  ready  to  listen  but  hard  to  make  un- 
derstand the  falsity  of  Romish  teaching. 

Rev.  W.  D.  Powell  and  Miss  Anna  J.  Mayberry, 
Mrs.  Powell's  sister,  received  their  appointment  to 
Me.xico  in  May,  1882,  and  entered  upon  their  work 
in  Saltillo  the  following  autumn.  Mr.  Powell  had 
been  a  Sunday-school  missionary  in  Te.xas  for  sev- 
eral years  and  was  widely  and  favorably  known. 
He  had  traveled  in  Mexico  and  was  somewhat  famil- 


248     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

iar  with  the  language,  character,  and  needs  of  the 
people.  Saltillo,  a  city  of  about  twenty-five  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  is  beautifully  situated  forty-five 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  climate  is 
perpetual  spring.  A  commodious  house  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  city  was  secured,  and  Mr.  Powell  began 
preaching  through  an  interpreter.  Mrs.  PowSll 
and  Miss  Mayberry,  being  experienced  teachers, 
entered  at  once  into  school  work.  They  also  en- 
gaged in  house  to  house  visiting  among  the  women, 
this  i^roving  an  effectual  way  of  reaching  a  priest- 
ridden  class.  Mr.  Powell's  report  for  the  year 
1884  was  gratifying.  A  church  had  been  organ- 
ized and  fifty-two  persons  were  received  to  mem- 
bership, most  of  them  by  experience  and  bap- 
tism. A  deep  religious  interest  pervaded  the  con- 
gregation in  Saltillo  and  baptisms  were  frequent. 
Hundreds  of  Bibles  and  Testaments  were  sold 
and  given  away.  El  Heraldo  Mexicano,  the  first 
Baptist  newspaper  published  in  Mexico,  proved  a 
success.  It  was  issued  by  Mr.  Powell,  with  Signor 
Cardenas,  a  Mexican,  as  joint-editor  and  proprie- 
tor. This  paper  had  a  much  larger  circulation 
than  the  combined  membership  of  the  Baptist 
churches  in  Mexico,  and  was  a  great  help  in  car- 
rying gospel  truth  into  the  homes  of  the  people. 

The  next  forward  step  in  the  Mexican  Mission 
was  the  establishment  of  the  Madero  Institute  at 
Saltillo.      Mr.    Powell    had    won    the    esteem   and 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  249 

friendship  of  Governor  Madero,  of  Coahuila,  who 
offered  him,  in  behalf  the  State,  several  pieces  of 
valuable  property  for  the  establishment  of  schools 
in  Saltillo,  Parras,  and  Patos,  cities  of  Coahuila. 
The  conditions  of  the  contract  raised  the  question 
of  the  Baptist  doctrine  of  the  separation  of  Church 
and  State,  and  the  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
Board  was  sent  to  Mexico  to  adjust  the  matter 
more  satisfactorily.  A  constitution  was  substi- 
tuted for  the  contract,  under  which  was  organ- 
ized a  Board  of  trustees,  who  received  by  pur- 
chase, lease,  and  gifts  from  individuals  the  prop- 
erty offered,  together  with  valuable  property  for 
the  church,  in  conformity  with  a  provision  of  the 
constitution  to  the  effect  that  no  property  shall 
ever  be  received  as  a  gift  from  any  civil  govern- 
ment. The  constitution  and  by-laws  of  the  insti- 
tute provided  for  scholastic  departments,  primar}-, 
academic,  and  normal,  for  the  education  of  young 
women,  and  a  boarding  department  for  orphan 
girls  and  other  pupils.  The  scholastic  exercises 
might  be  opened  with  Scripture  reading  and 
prayer,  but  should  not  include  the  teaching  of 
any  particularly  Baptist  tenets.  Good  order,  pure 
morals,  and  perfect  freedom  of  conscience  in  mat- 
ters of  religion  were  to  be  preserved. 

A  quadrangular  building,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
by  two  hundred  feet,  one  story  high,  with  court, 
fountain,  and  arcade  in  the  center,  and  a  plaza  ad- 


250     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

joining,  was  purchased  for  the  institute.  The 
building  was  thoroughly  renovated  and  furnished, 
and  a  library  neatly  fitted  up  for  the  reception  of 
a  thousand-dollar  donation  of  books  from  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Bucknell,  of  Philadelphia.  The  school  was 
opened  in  October,  1884,  and  during  the  year  sev- 
enty pupils  were  enrolled,  forty  of  whom  were 
boarders.  As  February  first  was  the  beginning  of 
the  school  year,  it  was  formally  opened  at  that 
time,  a  number  of  Baptists  from  the  United  States 
being  present.  Signor  Jose  M.  Cardenas  was 
chosen  principal.  Mrs.  M.  E.  Graves,  of  Texas, 
was  prevailed  on  to  accept  the  position  of  matron, 
and  entered  upon  her  duties  in  February,  1885. 

Other  missionaries  joined  the  workers  in  Sal- 
tillo  :  Miss  Addie  Barton  in  July,  1884  ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  F.  M.  Meyers  in  November ;  and  Miss  M.  C. 
Tupper,  a  daughter  of  the  corresponding  secre- 
tary, in  December.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyers,  with 
Miss  Mayberry  to  assist  them,  located  in  Patos, 
where  a  church  had  been  organized.  Less  than  a 
year  of  service  was  permitted  to  Mrs.  Meyers  ; 
her  health  failing  rapidly  she  returned  to  her 
home  in  Kentucky,  where  she  died  in  November, 
1885.  The  first  Mexican  Baptist  Association 
was  organized  in  Saltillo  on  December  12,  1884. 
Eight  churches,  with  an  aggregate  membership  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty,  were  represented.  There 
were  eighteen  delegates  in  attendance  and  several 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  25  I 

visiting  brethren,  including  the  corresponding  sec- 
retary of  the  Board.  On  Sunday  evening  Jose 
Gonzalez  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, and  the  day  following  he,  with  two  other 
brethren,  was  appointed  a  missionary  under  the 
new  organization.  Seven  hundred  dollars  was 
raised  for  the  support  of  two  missionaries,  the 
third  being  employed  only  during  his  vacation. 

Another  forward  step  in  the  Mexican  Mission 
was  the  purchase  by  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
of  an  unfinished  temple  or  cathedral  in  Saltillo, 
to  be  reconstructed  into  a  church  house.  At  the 
formal  opening  of  the  Madero  Institute  the  cor- 
ner-stone of  the  new  church  was  laid,  and  those 
present  contributed  ^1,400  toward  its  erection. 
Finished  and  dedicated  it  formed  a  convenient 
church  home  for  the  Baptists  of  Saltillo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flournoy  having  removed  to  the 
Rio  Grande  district,  they  labored  there  faithfully 
and  successfully,  a  part  of  the  time  among  the 
Indians  in  El  Macimento,  the  Mexican  Indian 
reservation.  Mr.  Flournoy  was  peculiarly  adapted 
for  this  frontier  work,  being  bold,  hardy,  and  well 
acquainted  with  Indian  character  and  history.  It 
was  a  hard  field,  the  amalgamation  of  races,  Afri- 
can, Indian,  and  Mexican,  causing  such  a  mixture 
of  language  that  it  was  difficult  for  the  people  to 
understand  either  English  or  Spanish.  The  death 
of  Isaac  Wilson,  the  recognized  leader  of  the  Mus- 


252     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

cogee  congregation  and  the  most  intelligent  man 
among  them,  was  a  serious  blow  to  the  progress 
of  the  work.  Mr.  Flournoy  had  expended  much 
time  in  instructing  him,  and  through  him  the 
others  were  reached.  Some  progress  was  made 
among  the  children,  nearly  fifty  of  whom  were 
gathered  in  Sunday  and  day  schools;  but  in  1885 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flournoy  resigned  from  the  service 
of  the  Board. 

The  year  1886  witnessed  many  changes  in  the 
mission.  Miss  Tupper,  after  a  long  and  dangerous 
illness,  was  forced  to  return  to  her  home  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  it  was  not  thought  advisable  for  her 
again  to  take  up  work  in  Mexico.  Rev.  H.  P. 
McCormick,  who  had  entered  the  field  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1886,  had  acquired  a  sufficient  knowledge 
of  the  language  to  be  able  to  take  some  of  Miss 
Tupper's  classes  in  the  institute  during  her  illness. 
In  December  he  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  P. 
Perry,  of  Marion,  Ala.,  and  removed  to  Zacatecas, 
there  to  open  a  new  station,  with  Miss  Barton  as 
assistant.  The  State  of  Zacatecas  is  more  noted 
for  its  mines  than  any  other  in  the  republic,  and 
contains  the  important  city  of  Zacatecas,  which 
is  the  capital,  with  a  population  of  thirty  thou- 
sand. The  neighboring  State  of  Aguas  Calientes, 
in  which  Mr.  McCormick  also  expected  to  labor, 
presented  an  inviting  field.  A  church  was  soon 
constituted,  as   several    members   of    the    Saltillo 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  2  53 

church  hved  in  Zacatecas,  and  a  Sunday  and  day 
school  were  organized.  A  church  of  twenty-seven 
members  was  reported  in  1888,  but  as  the  work 
prospered  the  antagonism  of  fanatical  Romanists 
was  aroused.  At  a  station  six  miles  from  Zaca- 
tecas Mr.  McCormick  was  attacked  with  stones  on 
three  successive  evenings,  the  window  panes  of 
the  house  were  broken,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
have  police  protection. 

In  response  to  an  urgent  appeal  for  help  from 
Mr.  Powell,  Rev.  D.  A.  Wilson  removed  with  his 
family  to  Mexico  in  March,  1886.  At  this  time 
he  had  no  appointment  from  the  Board,  but  after 
conference  with  some  of  its  members  during  the 
Convention  in  May,  he  was  commissioned  as  a 
missionary  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention. 
After  acquiring  some  knowledge  of  the  language 
in  Saltillo  he  removed  to  Patos,  where  Misses 
Barton  and  Tupper  had  established  a  flourishing 
school,  and  where  a  comfortable  church  building 
had  been  completed  and  dedicated.  Some  months 
later  he  was  sent  to  open  a  mission  in  the  wealthy 
and  beautiful  city  of  Guadalajara,  called,  because 
of  its  rapid  material  development,  the  Chicago  of 
Mexico.  About  fifty  persons  were  present  at  his 
first  public  service  and  a  number  listened  at  the 
windows.  It  was  Mr.  Wilson's  privilege  to  admin- 
ister the  first  Christian  baptism  ever  seen  in  the 
city.     Before  his  arrival  the  name  and  doctrines 


2  54     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTIOiN 

of  BajDtists  were  unknown,  and  on  every  side 
people  were  questioning  who  they  were  and  what 
they  believed. 

A  wonderful  field  for  mission  work  was  opened 
to  Mr.  Powell  on  the  ranches  and  haciendas  and 
he  eagerly  entered  it.  Several  years  earlier  Ed- 
ward Lara,  an  old  man  of  large  possessions,  was 
instructed  in  the  gospel  by  Mr.  Powell,  who  was 
teaching  his  son.  Thirty  years  previously  the  old 
man  had  become  mnch  interested  in  the  Bible,  a 
copy  of  which  had  fallen  into  his  hands.  He  in- 
vited Mr.  Powell  to  visit  his  ranches  and  preach 
to  the  people.  The  result  of  this  invitation  was 
the  baptism  of  Lara  and  a  number  of  others  and 
the  organization  of  two  churches  known  as  San 
Rafael  and  San  Joaquin.  Mr.  Powell  also  received 
a  request  from  Mr.  Bustamente,  ex-governor  of 
San  Luis  Potosi,  to  visit  his  ranches  and  Jiacicndas 
that,  the  missionary  said,  covered  a  territory  equal 
to  the  State  of  Tennessee.  He  also  issued  an 
order  directing  overseers  and  employees  to  render 
every  assistance  and  attend  to  every  want  of  the 
missionary  and  charge  the  expense  to  his  account. 
This  was  an  unprecedented  opening  into  a  large 
territory  where  ignorance,  superstition,  and  vice 
reigned  supreme. 

The  year  1888  witnessed  a  large  increase  of 
missionaries  in  Mexico  and  the  occupation  of  sev- 
eral   new  stations.      Mr.    H.   R.  Moseley  was,  in 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  255 

August,  1888,  sent  to  Saltillo  to  take  charge  of 
the  church,  Madero  Institute,  and  Zaragoza  Insti- 
tute. The  latter  institution  was  a  school  organized 
for  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  ministry 
and  was  supported  largely  by  the  gifts  of  a  good 
deacon  in  Virginia.  Mr.  Moseley  also  conducted  a 
correspondence  school  for  the  benefit  of  native 
ministers  who  could  not  leave  their  work  to  attend 
school.  He  established,  in  connection  with  this 
school,  theological  institutes,  which  were  held  at 
convenient  times  and  places.  Another  efficient 
worker  was  added  to  the  mission  by  Mr.  Moseley's 
marriage  to  Miss  Etna  Olliphant,  of  Mobile,  Ala., 
in  December  following.  Miss  Lucia  C.  Cabaniss 
was  also  added  to  the  corps  of  teachers  in  the 
institute. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  B.  Rudd  and  Miss  Sarah  Hale 
were  sent  to  take  charge  of  the  work  in  the  Parras 
district,  where  two  churches  had  been  organized. 
They  made  their  home  in  Parras,  a  town  of  be- 
tween ten  and  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants,  about 
fifteen  miles  from  one  of  the  great  railroads  con- 
necting Texas  with  the  city  of  Mexico.  In  the 
summer  of  1888  Rev.  J.  G.  Chastain,  of  Missis- 
sippi, and  Miss  Lillian  Wright,  of  Virginia,  were 
appointed  to  Mexico.  Miss  Wright  had  been 
patiently  awaiting  her  appointment  for  three  years 
and  during  that  time  willingness  had  been  suc- 
ceeded by  desire,  and  then  by  intense  longing,  to 


256     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

spend  her  life  in  mission  work.  She  met  Mr. 
Chastain  on  the  way  to  Mexico,  acquaintance 
ripened  into  a  strong  attachment,  and  before  the 
close  of  the  year  they  were  married  and  located  in 
Matehuala.  Eight  churches,  with  one  hundred  and 
thirty-two  members,  had  been  organized  in  the 
Matehuala  district,  which  though  in  the  Coahuila 
mission,  was  in  the  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi. 
Between  it  and  the  other  fields  of  Coahuila  lay  a 
high  range  of  mountains,  and  this  subjected  the 
missionaries  to  much  loneliness  and  isolation. 
Miss  Fannie  Russell,  a  gifted  and  earnest  woman, 
was  appointed  to  assist  Mr.  Wilson  at  Guadalajara, 
but  after  a  few  months  of  service  she  was  com- 
pelled by  ill  health  to  resign  from  the  service  of 
the  Board.  The  Rio  Grande  district  was  put  in 
charge  of  Rev.  A.  C.  Watkins,  who  with  his  wife, 
arrived  in  Musquiz  in  January,  1889.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  the  same  year,  Mrs.  Janie  P.  Duggan,  a 
granddaughter  of  Dr.  James  B.  Taylor,  the  first 
secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  and  one 
to  whom  Baptist  and  missionary  principles  were  an 
inheritance,  was  appointed  by  the  Board,  and  be- 
gan her  work  as  teacher  in  Madero  Institute. 

The  early  years  of  the  decade  beginning  with 
1890  were  years  of  harvesting  as  well  as  seed-sow- 
ing. Mr.  Wilson's  faithful  work  at  Guadalajara 
was  bearing  fruit.  In  1891  his  church  numbered 
thirty-six   members,    but   though   his   efforts  were 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  25/ 

being  blessed  and  he  had  acquired  more  perfect 
Spanish  than  any  of  the  other  missionaries,  he  felt 
that  he  needed  fuller  preparation  for  his  life-work 
and  requested  to  be  allowed  to  return  to  the 
United  States  to  prosecute  his  studies.  Mr.  and 
Mrs,  P.  H.  Goldsmith,  of  South  Carolina,  were  ac- 
cepted by  the  Board  in  1890,  and  were  sent  to 
Guadalajara  with  Mrs.  Duggan  and  Miss  Barton  to 
assist  them.  At  Zacatecas  Mr.  McCormick  was 
not  idle  nor  unsuccessful.  His  field  was  dotted 
with  churches,  at  San  Miguel,  Colotlan,  San  Juan 
de  Guadalupe,  Zacatecas,  and  Aguas  Calientes. 
The  last  named  was  turned  over  to  the  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  of  New  York,  as  it 
was  contiguous  to  its  work.  Such  exchanges  were 
frequently  effected  by  the  Baptist  Boards  of  the 
North  and  South  with  mutual  advantage.  Large 
quantities  of  tracts  and  Testaments  were  distrib- 
uted and  many  subscribers  secured  for  the  Baptist 
periodical,  '^  La  Lus.''  The  church  at  Zacatecas, 
numbering  twenty-seven  members,  contributed 
$112  for  home  and  foreign  missions.  Just  as  his 
earnest  appeals  for  a  church  building  had  been 
answered  and  the  edifice  was  completed,  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick was  compelled  to  lay  down  his  work  in 
Zacatecas  and  seek  a  location  better  suited  to  the 
health  of  his  devoted  wife.  In  Rev.  A.  B.  Rudd, 
who  then  had  charge  of  ten  churches  in  the  Parras 
district,   he  found  an  able  and  willing  successor, 

R 


258     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

The  teaching  force  at  the  Madero  Institute  was,  in 
1 89 1,  enlarged  by  the  arrival  of  Miss  Alta  Smelser, 
Miss  S.  A.  Cook,  and  Miss  Lillian  McDavid. 
Under  the  dual  principalship  of  Mr.  Moseley  and 
Miss  McDavid  the  school  increased  in  popularity. 
The  girls  were  bright,  interesting,  apt  to  learn, 
and  the  teachers  found  very  little  difference  in  re- 
ceptivity between  them  and  the  girls  of  the  United 
States.  This  was  true  of  many  whose  fathers  and 
mothers  could  neither  read  nor  write. 

The  year  1892  witnessed  the  consolidation  of 
the  missions  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention 
under  the  name  of  the  Mexican  Mission.  With 
the  new  organization  there  were  several  changes  of 
location.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  returned  to 
Mexico  and  located  in  Silao,  a  railroad  center  in 
the  State  of  Guanajuato.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  N. 
Steelman  were  accepted  by  the  Board  and  opened 
work  in  Orizaba  in  the  State  of  Vera  Cruz.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Chastain  removed  from  the  preoccupied 
field  of  Matehuala  to  Doctor  Arroyo  in  the  State 
of  Nuevo  Leon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powell  removed  to 
Toluca,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Mexico.  Mr. 
Powell  became  a  general  evangelist  visiting  all  the 
missions  and  preaching  at  stations  not  belonging 
to  any  of  them.  Miss  Mayberry  also  removed  to 
Toluca,  and  there  on  October  ninth,  1892,  during 
the  absence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powell  in  the  States, 
the  Master  called  her  to  himself. 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  259 

At  Guadalajara  Mr.  Goldsmith  slowly  gained  a 
foothold.  He  visited  every  town  of  importance  in 
the  State  and  distributed  Bibles  and  tracts.  The 
house  occupied  by  the  missionary  family  in  Guada- 
lajara was  built  as  the  residence  of  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic canon  and  one  of  the  rooms  still  bore  traces  of 
the  oratory,  with  its  niches  for  saints  and  the 
gilded  pinnacles  for  the  altar  molded  into  the  wall. 
There  was  much  poverty  as  well  as  great  wealth 
in  the  city,  the  members  of  the  Baptist  church 
being  usually  dependent  upon  the  thirty  or  forty 
cents  they  made  daily  for  their  livelihood.  Mrs. 
Duggan,  in  visiting  the  homes  of  the  people  and 
talking  with  them  by  the  wayside,  said  she  did  not 
find  them  as  a  whole  hungering  and  thirsting  for  a 
new  religion.  She  found  them  happy  and  content 
with  their  own,  and  they  often  pitied  her  because 
she  did  not  believe  in  the  influence  of  the  "  Mother 
of  God."  A  very  intelligent  old  man  who  had 
been  reading  the  Bible  for  her  sake  said  to  her: 
"  Schorita,  you  believe  one  way  and  I  another. 
When  I  was  a  child  in  school,  they  taught  me  the 
catechism  and  afterward  I  read  and  learned  all 
the  articles  of  our  faith.  The  faith  of  your  fathers 
is  your  faith,  and  that  of  mine  is  mine,  and  I  am 
willing  to  die  by  it,"  A  bright  young  woman  who 
could  not  read,  but  knew  everything  about  the 
Virgin  Mary  except  the  truth,  said  to  Mrs.  Dug- 
gan one  day:  "  I  also  know  that  Jesus  is  the  only 


26o     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

Saviour  and  that  he  gave  his  precious  blood  for  us, 
but  I  can  get  so  much  nearer  to  him  through  his 
mother.  She  will  present  my  case  to  him  better 
than  I  can.  Oh,  would  you  have  me  give  up  my 
Mary  Mother .?  "  Guadalajara  is  said  to  be,  next 
to  Puebla,  the  most  fanatical  city  of  the  republic. 
There  are  hundreds  of  priests,  beautiful  churches, 
and  many  Roman  Catholic  schools  and  colleges. 

An  interesting  incident  of  the  year,  1892,  was 
the  ordination  of  a  full-blooded  Mexican,  Alexandre 
Trevino,  to  the  full  work  of  the  gospel  ministry. 
Mr.  Trevino  came  on  with  Mr.  Powell  to  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Convention  held  in  Atlanta,  and  it  was 
thought  best  to  have  the  ordination  service  there, 
as  it  would  be  difficult  to  assemble  a  presbytery  at 
his  church,  Patos,  Baptist  ministers  in  Mexico 
being  few  and  widely  scattered.  The  very  thorough 
examination  conducted  by  the  presbytery  was  en- 
tirely satisfactory  and  on  May  25,  he  was  ordained 
in  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Doctors  McDonald, 
Hawthorne,  and  J.  William  Jones  taking  part  in 
the  service.  Mr.  Trevino  returned  to  Mexico  the 
day  following,  leaving  the  impression  that  if  he  was 
a  fair  specimen  of  the  native  helper  their  increase 
an  hundred-fold  would  be  a  great  blessing  to  the 
work.  For  several  years  the  Association  of  the 
Baptist  churches  of  Coahuila  had  been  collecting  a 
fund  to  send  a  missionary  from  Mexico  to  some 
other  papal  field,  but  as  the  right  man  had  not  ap- 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  26 1 

peared,  the  Association,  meeting  in  Parras  in 
November,  1892,  decided  to  leave  it  to  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  to  select  a  native  worker  in  Brazil 
as  the  missionary  of  the  Association  to  be  sus- 
tained by  their  prayers  and  supported  by  their 
funds.  This  was  their  celebration  of  the  Carey  cen- 
tennial. 

Loss  and  gain  among  the  missionaries  in  Mexico 
during  the  year  1893  were  equal.  Mrs.  Duggan 
found  herself  compelled  by  broken  health  to  return 
to  the  United  States  and  finally  to  abandon  all 
thought  of  resuming  work  in  Mexico,  and  Miss 
Smelser  was  also  compelled  for  the  same  reason  to 
retire  from  the  mission.  The  number  of  mission- 
aries was  not  decreased,  for  two  efficient  workers 
were  added  to  the  force,  Rev.  Marion  Gassaway  in 
August  and  Miss  Ida  Hayes  in  October.  Miss 
Hayes,  being  an  experienced  teacher,  became  one 
of  the  faculty  of  Madero  Institute.  Mr.  Gassaway 
after  a  brief  stay  in  Saltillo,  in  January,  1894,  took 
charge  of  the  work  in  Zacatecas,  Mr.  Rudd  having 
accepted  the  position  of  director  in  Madero  Insti- 
tute. Mr.  Moseley  had  resigned  this  position  to 
devote  himself  more  fully  to  pastoral  and  evangel- 
istic work. 

The  session  of  the  institute  beginning  February, 
1894,  opened  encouragingly  with  seventy-six  ma- 
triculates, of  whom  forty-six  were  boarders.  Though 
the  director  and  two  of  the  teachers  were  new  to 


262     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

the  work,  there  was  an  earnest  effort  toward  yet 
greater  success  than  had  been  attained  in  previous 
years.  In  the  Saltillo  church,  of  which  Mr.  Mose- 
ley  was  pastor,  there  was  a  steady  growth  in  num- 
bers and  hberality.  During  the  year  1 894  he  was 
blessed  with  an  unusual  number  of  conversions,  but 
his  joy  over  the  success  that  crowned  his  labors 
was  suddenly  turned  to  sorrow  because  those 
labors  must  come  to  a  speedy  close.  He  had 
written  a  very  strong  anti-Romanist  tract  entitled, 
"Three  Centuries  of  Romanism  in  Mexico."  A 
copy  of  the  tract,  which  was  published  by  the 
Maryland  Baptist  Mission  Rooms,  was  sent  to 
Saltillo,  and  mistranslated  was  used  to  enrage  the 
people  against  him.  On  the  charge  of  having 
written  this  tract  he  was  imprisoned,  and  only 
liberated  through  the  efforts  of  Messrs.  Powell  and 
Rudd  and  the  United  States  consul  and  consul- 
general.  Feeling  was  so  intense  against  Mr. 
Moseley  that  his  life  was  endangered  and  it  was 
deemed  best  for  him  to  leave  Mexico.  The  mis- 
sion thus  lost  two  of  its  most  consecrated  and  de- 
voted workers. 

By  the  removal  of  Mr.  Moseley  the  direction  of 
affairs  in  the  Saltillo  mission  was  left  entirely  to 
Mr.  Rudd,  who  was  so  occupied  with  the  work  in 
the  city  that  he  was  unable  to  look  after  the  out- 
side stations,  which  had  been  part  of  Mr.  Mose- 
ley's  charge.      Late  in  the  year  Miss  Hayes  was 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  263 

elected  associate  principal  of  the  institute  and  was 
able  to  relieve  Mr,  Rudd  of  much  of  the  care  and 
responsibility  of  the  school.  His  burden  of  work 
was  further  lightened  when  the  Saltillo  church 
called  a  native  pastor,  Pablo  Rodriguez.  The  idea 
of  self-support  had  taken  such  strong  hold  on  the 
church  that  it  undertook  the  support  of  its  pastor 
without  help  from  the  Board.  This  was  a  heavy 
strain  on  the  members,  but  they  wished  to  set  an 
example  in  the  matter  of  self-support,  and  it 
proved  an  impetus  to  other  churches  in  the  same 
direction.  Mr.  Watkins  removed  from  Musquiz 
to  Parras,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  take  charge  of 
the  western  part  of  the  Saltillo  field,  uniting  it 
with  his  former  Musquiz  field.  In  the  spring  of 
1894  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goldsmith  retired  from  the 
mission,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  resumed  the 
charge  of  the  work  in  Guadalajara,  which  they 
had  given  into  Mr.  Goldsmith's  care  several  years 
previous.  Miss  Hale  joined  them,  and  was  able  to 
assist  Mr.  Wilson  with  the  Sunday-school  papers 
which  he  prepared  for  the  Mexican  schools. 

The  year  1895  was  one  of  steady  progress. 
Feeling  deeply  the  need  of  the  Spirit's  power, 
missionaries  of  all  denominations  gathered  in  To- 
luca  in  April  for  a  conference  on  the  Holy  Spirit, 
which  was  arranged  by  Doctor  Powell.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  meeting  was  felt  even  among  those  of 
the  workers  who  were  not  able  to  attend.     The 


264     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

idea  of  self-support  was  enforced.  Churches  were 
urged  to  build  their  own  houses  of  worship  and 
sustain  their  own  pastors,  and  in  the  Morelia  mis- 
sion several  brethren  did  good  work  evangelizing 
without  compensation.  In  October  Miss  Cabaniss 
resigned  from  the  service  of  the  Board,  and  on 
December  12  the  mission  lost  another  faithful 
missionary  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Gassaway.  He 
was  consecrated  and  earnest  and,  though  on  the 
field  scarcely  more  than  two  years,  was  doing  effi- 
cient work.  So  impressed  was  he  with  the  need 
of  helpers  that  he  offered  to  reduce  his  salary  if 
he  might  thereby  secure  another. 

Amid  the  discouragements  of  slow  spiritual 
growth  on  the  part  of  the  native  Christians  and 
stolid  indifference  to  religious  matters  among  the 
people  generally,  the  missionaries  yet  found  some 
cause  for  rejoicing.  There  was  a  very  decided 
tendency  on  the  part  of  all  workers,  both  native 
and  foreign,  to  look  less  to  mere  numbers  and 
more  to  genuine  conversions  and  real  spirituality. 
The  native  ministry  was  of  a  higher  grade  than 
ever  before,  and  the  native  workers  showed  a 
praiseworthy  interest  in  the  matter  of  mental 
preparation  for  their  high  and  holy  task.  In  the 
summer  of  1896  a  theological  institute  was  held 
in  Saltillo,  in  which  Mr.  Rudd  had  the  assistance 
of  Messrs-  Chastain,  Westrup,  and  Watkins.  The 
mutual  contact  as  well  as  the  consecutive   study 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  265 

was  of  great  benefit  to  those  who  attended,  and  to 
some  it  meant  a  new  spiritual  experience.  In  the 
Doctor  Arroyo  mission  the  work  was  never  more 
encouraging.  "The  field  was  white  unto  the 
harvest,  but  for  lack  of  workers  it  was  impossible 
to  enter  all  the  open  doors."  In  the  Morelia  mis- 
sion the  missionary's  heart  was  encouraged  by 
marked  and  growing  evidences  of  spirituality  among 
the  brethren,  and  especially  by  the  growth  in  grace 
and  power  of  a  number  of  those  who,  though  un- 
ordained  and  self-supporting,  were  preaching  the 
word.  The  members  of  the  churches  were  scat- 
tered over  a  wide  territory,  but  in  several  places 
Sunday  services  were  held  with  some  regularity 
in  private  houses  by  these  isolated  Christian 
workers.  There  was  a  notable  decrease  in  hos- 
tility to  the  gospel,  and  many  open  enemies  a  year 
previous  began  reading  the  Scriptures  and  inquir- 
ing the  way.  One  of  the  most  hopeful  signs  of 
the  work  at  Guadalajara  was  the  increase  of  attend- 
ance at  the  Sunday  morning  service,  especially  of 
children.  One  of  the  most  difficult  problems  with 
the  native  church-membership  had  always  been  the 
observance  of  the  Lord's  Day. 

Several  changes  marked  the  year  1896.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Watkins  removed  to  Torreon,  where  a 
faithful  native  brother  had  organized  a  small  but 
earnest  body  of  believers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steel- 
man  returned  to  the  United   States,  and  impaired 


266     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

health  rendered  Miss  McDavid's  return  also  im- 
perative. 

The  year  1897  witnessed  no  marked  advance  in 
the  work  in  Mexico.  The  restrictions  that  ham- 
pered Madero  Institute  were  entirely  removed,  and 
it  became  in  truth  a  Baptist  mission  school.  Ten 
of  the  girls  united  with  the  church,  and  there  was  a 
marked  increase  of  interest  in  spiritual  things.  It 
was  the  aim  of  the  teachers,  with  God's  help,  to 
fortify  these  young  Christians  for  the  many  and 
peculiar  trials  that  awaited  them  in  their  Roman 
Catholic  country.  Mr.  Wilson,  one  of  the  most 
faithful  and  efficient  of  missionaries,  felt  com- 
pelled by  a  change  of  views  on  some  doctrinal 
points  to  sever  his  connection  with  the  Board. 
His  church  went  with  him,  and  the  work  of  the 
Board  in  Guadalajara  was  suspended. 

The  year  1898  was  marked  by  sadder  changes 
than  any  in  the  history  of  the  mission.  Serious 
trouble  arose  among  the  missionaries,  and  it 
seemed  impossible  to  settle  the  difficulty  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  Mr.  Powell,  a  pioneer 
in  Mexican  missions,  tendered  his  resignation  and 
returned  to  the  United  States.  The  mission  lost 
some  of  its  most  consecrated  and  efficient  mem- 
bers by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCor- 
mick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rudd,  and  Miss  Ida  Hayes. 
Madero  Institute  was  closed,  and  the  outlook  for 
this  field  was  very  dark,  although  the  appointment 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  26/ 

of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  P.  Mahon  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J. 
S.  Cheavens  shed  a  ray  of  brightness.  As  Miss 
Kate  Savage,  Mrs.  Mahon  had  formerly  held  the 
position  of  matron  in  Madero  Institute,  and  her 
knowledge  of  the  language  enabled  her  to  begin 
work  at  once.  After  a  brief  stay  at  Torreon,  that 
Mr.  Mahon  might  learn  something  of  the  lan- 
guage, customs,  and  manners  of  the  people,  and 
also  of  the  different  departments  of  work,  they 
removed  to  Toluca.  Here  a  neat  and  comfortable 
chapel  had  been  erected  on  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar streets  of  the  city. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cheavens  located  temporarily  at 
Torreon,  where  Mr.  Watkins  had  built  up  a  most 
encouraging  work.  Torreon  is  a  young,  thrifty 
railroad  city,  which  is  growing  rapidly.  Factories 
are  also  being  built,  and  the  new  population  com- 
ing in  from  every  direction  was  not  so  fanatical 
and  opposed  to  the  gospel  as  was  that  of  the  older 
and  more  conservative  towns.  Mr.  Watkins  was 
fortunate  in  securing  a  fine  lot  on  the  plaza  at  a 
very  moderate  price  before  property  had  greatly 
enhanced  in  value,  and  on  this  he  erected  a  house 
of  worship  and  a  parsonage.  The  Board  appro- 
priated $600  for  this  property,  and  Mr.  Watkins 
secured  the  remainder  of  the  cost  from  other 
sources.  After  Mr.  McCormick  left  Morelia  it 
was  deemed  best  for  Mr.  Chastain  to  move  there 
and  carry  on  the  work  so  wisely  and  energetically 


268     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

begun,  and  he  did  this  although  he  was  loth  to 
leave  his  own  field  of  Doctor  Arroyo,  where  the 
outlook  was  more  encouraging  than  ever  before. 
At  Morelia  he  found  two  candidates  awaiting  bap- 
tism and  many  scattered  members  who  were  ex- 
tending the  leaven  of  the  gospel  through  the 
remote  districts.  He  also  found  three  organized 
churches,  three  ordained  Aztec  preachers,  and  as 
many  unordained.  All  of  these  were  untiring  and 
efficient  missionaries,  who  had  never  received  one 
cent  of  salary  from  any  Board.  One  of  the 
churches  had  finished  and  dedicated  a  commo- 
dious chapel,  and  another  provided  its  own  preach- 
ing hall  free  of  rent. 

Work  among  the  Indians  in  the  Torrid  Zone 
moved  forward  with  encouraging  progress.  Mr. 
Chastain  visited  this  section  once  a  year  taking 
advantage  of  the  coolest  weather.  In  the  city  of 
Morelia  the  bitter  opposition  and  fanaticism  with 
which  the  missionaries  had  to  contend,  seemed  to 
be  subsiding,  but  the  work  was  greatly  retarded  for 
lack  of  suitable  mission  buildings  centrally  located. 
Its  numerous  rich  agricultural  and  stock  ranches, 
with  abundant  water  supply,  and  its  enormous 
mineral  wealth,  render  the  State  of  Michoacan 
hardly  second  to  any  in  the  republic.  Between 
Morelia  and  the  Pacific  coast,  a  distance  of  three 
hundred  miles,  there  is  no  foreign  missionary  and 
the  heralds  of  the  cross  should  be  pressing  forward 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  269 

into  this  unoccupied  territory  that  they  may  be 
able  to  lay  hold  of  the  fast-opening  opportunities 
and  use  them  for  the  advancement  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom. 

After  acquiring  some  knowledge  of  the  language 
and  customs  of  the  people,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cheavens 
removed  from  Torreon  to  Saltillo,  in  July,  1899, 
where  Mr.  Cheavens  found  some  discouraging 
features  connected  with  the  work.  The  names 
of  many  non-residents  and  non-workers  bur- 
dened the  church  roll  and  the  real  church-mem- 
bership was  very  small.  Under  his  faithful  efforts 
interest  began  to  deepen  and  at  this  writing  the 
outlook  is  more  hopeful.  In  October,  1899,  Miss 
Addie  Barton  returned  to  Saltillo  and  opened  a 
day  school  and  was  gratified  by  a  growing  attend- 
ance. In  the  summer  of  1899,  three  new  mis- 
sionaries were  appointed  to  Mexico,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
G.  H.  Crutcher,  of  Tennessee,  and  R.  W.  Hooker, 
of  Mississippi.  After  a  brief  stay  in  Toluca  to 
familiarize  himself  with  the  work,  Mr.  Hooker 
moved  to  Leon,  where  he  is  at  this  writing  con- 
ducting a  promising  work  in  the  face  of  bitter 
oppo.sition.  Having  established  himself  at  Leon, 
Mr.  Hooker  returned  to  Missis.sippi,  where  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Nelson,  of  Carrollton,  on  May  31, 
1900. 

Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Con- 
vention of    1900,  the   Board  began  to  enlarge  its 


270     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

work,  in  accordance  with  the  decision  of  that  body, 
and  among  the  first  appointments  made  were  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Frank  Marrs,  of  Del  Rio,  Texas.  Mr. 
Marrs  had  served  the  State  Board  of  Texas  for 
several  years  as  a  missionary  in  Del  Rio,  and  was 
most  highly  recommended  by  those  who  knew 
him.  He  is  located  in  Durango,  where  there  is 
now  a  church  of  forty  members.  They  are  sub- 
ject to  some  petty  persecution,  but  with  it  all,  God 
is  blessing  the  preaching  of  his  truth  and  souls  are 
being  won  for  his  kingdom. 

A  most  harmonious  and  delightful  session  of 
the  Coahuila  Baptist  Association  was  held  in  Tor- 
reon  in  September,  1900.  It  was  the  seventeenth 
annual  session  and  a  greater  number  of  messengers 
than  usual  were  present.  Sixty-six  baptisms  were 
reported  and  $207  was  offered  for  missions.  A 
missionary  was  appointed  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Association  and  provision  was  made  for  his  sup- 
port. The  theological  institute  followed  the  Asso- 
ciation and  continued  for  one  week,  with  gratify- 
ing results.  A  dozen  wide-awake,  appreciative 
students  listened  with  pleasure  and  profit  to 
well-prepared  lectures.  A  paper  on  the  early  his- 
tory of  gospel  work  in  Mexico  created  great  en- 
thusiasm. The  writer,  Porfirio  Rodriguez,  had 
been  a  Baptist  preacher  for  thirty  years  and  was 
rich  in  reminiscences.  Preaching  services  were 
held  every  night  and  as  a  result  several  candidates 


THE    MEXICAN    MISSION  2/1 

were  received  for  baptism.  A  theological  school 
has  been  opened  in  Torreon  under  the  direction  of 
Mr,  Watkins,  who  has  a  native  preacher,  Rev. 
Jorge  A.  Berumen,  assisting  him.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
VV.  F.  Hatchell  joined  the  mission  in  the  spring  of 
1 90 1  and  have  taken  charge  of  the  work  in  Morelia, 
thus  allowing  Mr.  Chastain  to  remove  to  Guada- 
lajara. 

No  denomination  reports  any  special  ingather- 
ing or  great  awakening  in  the  Mexican  field.  While 
the  spirit  of  persecution  is  still  active  in  some 
parts,  yet  in  most  places  the  indifference  of  the 
people  is  the  greatest  enemy  of  the  gospel.  In 
the  Southern  Baptist  mission  the  outlook  is  more 
promising  than  for  several  years  past.  There  are 
a  number  of  missionaries  on  the  field  and  a  spirit 
of  unity  prevails.  The  mission  has  passed  through 
a  dark  hour,  but  a  brighter  day  has  dawned,  a  day 
when  the  self-denying  labors  of  her  missionaries 
promise  an  hundred-fold. 


XII 

THE    JAPANESE   MISSION 

THE  opening  of  Japan  to  Western  commerce 
and  civilization  by  Commodore  Perry,  in  1854, 
directed  the  attention  of  Southern  Baptists  to  its 
need  of  the  gospel  and  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
was  requested  to  watch  the  providence  of  God  as 
it  pointed  to  that  country  as  an  important  field  of 
missionary  effort.  Three  years  passed  before  the 
Board  felt  that  the  time  had  come  to  enter  Japan, 
but  in  i860,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Q.  A.  Rohrer,  and 
Messrs.  C.  H.  Toy  and  J.  L.  Johnson  were  ap- 
pointed to  enter  that  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rohrer  were  by  piety,  culture,  and  education  emi- 
nently fitted  for  pioneer  work  in  that  progressive 
kingdom.  They  sailed  from  New  York  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bond,  who  were  bound  for  China,  in  the 
"  Edwin  Forest,"  but  nothing  was  ever  heard  from 
the  ship,  and  the  fate  of  our  missionaries  will  be 
shrouded  in  mystery  until  the  sea  gives  up  its 
dead.  Messrs.  Johnson  and  Toy  expected  soon 
to  follow  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rohrer,  but  the  unsettled 
state  of  affairs  incident  to  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  War  prevented  the  Board  from  sending  them. 
272 


THE    JAPANESE    MISSION  273 

For  a  number  of  years  after  the  war  the  Board 
could  only  maintain  the  missions  already  estab- 
lished, and  all  attempt  to  enter  Japan  was  aban- 
doned, though  the  hope  was  still  cherished. 

The  Convention  of  1888  believed  the  time  had 
come  to  establish  a  mission  in  Japan,  and  so 
instructed  the  Board.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Brun- 
son,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  W.  McCollum  were 
accordingly  appointed,  and  arrived  in  Novem- 
ber, 1889.  They  located  temporarily  at  Kobe, 
where  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  had 
a  station,  to  begin  the  study  of  the  language,  and 
to  become  familiar  with  Japanese  customs.  With 
the  advice  and  friendly  aid  of  Doctor  Mabie,  of  the 
Missionary  Union,  Osaka,  a  city  of  four  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  was  chosen  as  a  permanent 
residence.  The  Missionary  Union  turned  over  its 
station  in  Osaka  to  the  Foreign  Mission  Board, 
and  our  missionaries  left  to  the  Union  the  whole 
field  of  Kobe.  The  arrangement  was  entirely 
satisfactory  to  both  parties.  Mr.  Brunson  had  a 
contract  for  a  year  in  a  government  school  in 
Kobe,  but  Mr.  McCollum  went  at  once  to  Osaka. 
The  church  was  not  organized,  but  there  was  a 
native  evangelist,  a  man  naturally  well  qualified  for 
the  ministry  though  not  trained  so  far  as  Bible 
work  was  concerned,  and  a  few  believers,  among 
whom  were  some  very  earnest  people.  In  March, 
1 89 1,  a  church  of  fifteen  members  was  constituted 

s 


2/4     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF   S.    B.    CONVENTION 

and  a  mission  school  with  an  enroUment  of  forty- 
five  was  also  established. 

The  first  two  years  were  attended  with  many 
difficulties.  The  missionaries  had  little  knowledge 
of  the  language  or  the  country,  and  as  in  every 
new  mission  the  work  was  slow  and  discouraging. 
Under  stress  of  circumstances  the  missionaries 
left  the  great  island  of  Niphon,  on  which  Kobe 
and  Osaka  are  situated,  and  went  to  Kokura,  on 
the  island  of  Kiushiu.  The  mission  at  Osaka  was 
left  to  the  fostering  care  of  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union.  The  island  of  Kiushiu,  at  the 
southwestern  extremity  of  the  Japanese  group  of 
islands,  had  a  population  of  nine  millions.  It  was 
one  of  the  most  inviting  fields  in  the  empire,  as 
well  as  one  of  the  most  destitute.  New  railroads, 
which  rendered  all  parts  of  the  island  accessible, 
were  being  constructed.  By  means  of  these,  to- 
gether with  the  numerous  coasting  vessels,  one 
man  could  work  over  a  large  territory,  at  small 
cost,  and  with  little  loss  of  time.  There  was  but 
one  missionary  on  the  western  coast  and  there 
were  many  towns  and  villages  in  which  the  gospel 
had  never  been  preached.  The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  had  a  large  and  growing  constituency  in 
the  northern  and  eastern  part  of  the  island,  but 
no  Baptist  mission  had  ever  been  established 
thereon,  although  some  work  had  been  done  by  a 
missionary  of  the  Union   living  on  one  adjacent. 


THE   JAPANESE    MISSION  2/5 

By  an  agreement  with  the  missionaries  of  the 
American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,  the  island  of 
Kiushiu  was  turned  over  to  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board  and  the  latter  became  responsible,  in  a 
measure,  for  its  evangelization.  The  mission 
opened  up  encouragingly,  regular  work  was  opened 
in  three  cities,  and  preaching  services  maintained. 
Inquirers  were  numerous  and  the  first  year  wit- 
nessed twenty-six  baptisms. 

In  the  summer  of  1892  Mr.  Brunson,  acting 
under  the  impression  that  he  had  made  a  mistake 
in  thinking  himself  called  of  God  to  be  a  mission- 
ary, resigned  from  the  work.  As  a  pioneer  mis- 
sionary he  had  done  excellent  service  and  the  Board, 
having  no  reason  to  doubt  his  fitness  for  the  work, 
reluctantly  accepted  his  resignation.  He  remained 
upon  the  field  until  the  arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
E.  N.  Walne,  who  sailed  in  September,  1892. 
The  year  following  witnessed  some  changes  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  force  in  Japan,  Mr.  McCol- 
lum  removed  to  Moji,  a  new  town  on  the  strait  of 
Shimonoseki.  It  is  the  terminus  of  a  railroad,  has 
a  fine  harbor,  and  a  large  trade  in  coal  and  rice. 
Mr.  Walne  located  in  Fukuoka,  a  city  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  people,  about  forty  miles  from  Moji 
and  connected  with  it  by  railroad. 

In  October  the  mission  constituted  its  first 
church  ;  prior  to  that  time  all  converts  held  their 
membership  theoretically  in  a  church  founded  by 


2/6     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

the  Missionary  Union.  Mr.  Kawakatsu,  the  best 
native  ordained  pastor  the  Baptists  had  in  Japan, 
was  kindly  lent  by  the  Missionary  Union  for  a 
year  to  help  in  the  work.  An  earnest,  Christian 
gentleman  and  a  safe  adviser  for  young  mission- 
aries, his  assistance  was  of  inestimable  value. 
Through  him  as  interpreter,  Mr.  Walne  conducted 
a  class  in  Bible  study  for  some  young  evangelists, 
A  day  school  was  established  under  the  supervi- 
sion of  Mrs.  McCollum,  conducted  by  a  young 
Christian  woman,  who  also  accompanied  Mrs.  Mc- 
Collum in  her  visits  to  the  homes  of  the  people. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  Maynard  arrived  in  Japan  in  De- 
cember, 1894,  a  much-needed  reinforcement,  since 
it  had  become  necessary  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCol- 
lum to  return  to  America  for  rest  and  change. 

Many  important  events  marked  the  year  1894. 
The  vexed  question  of  treaty  revision  had  been  an 
obstacle  to  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  in  Japan, 
and  the  hostile  feeling  growing  out  of  the  agita- 
tion of  the  question  culminated  in  a  fierce  anti- 
foreign  movement,  that  threatened  for  a  time  to 
sweep  all  before  it.  With  the  decadence  of  the 
old  national  faiths,  patriotism  had  become  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Japanese.  The  subjects  of  those 
powers  which  refused  to  admit  Japan  into  the 
family  of  nations  were  the  objects  of  bitter  hos- 
tility. This  state  of  affairs  was  a  serious  disad- 
vantasre  to  mission  work.     There  were  also  diffi- 


TPIE    JAPANESE    MISSION  2// 

CLilties  about  passports  and  smaller  congregations 
and  unusual  activity  among  some  of  the  Buddhist 
sects.  During  the  year,  however,  the  Japanese 
government  succeeded  in  negotiating  satisfactory 
treaties  with  England  and  the  United  States,  and 
the  anti-foreign  movement  became  a  thing  of  the 
past.  These  new  treaties  guaranteed  to  English 
and  American  subjects  nearly  all  of  the  privileges 
enjoyed  by  natives,  and  though  they  did  not  go 
into  effect  until  1899,  the  government  removed 
some  of  the  most  urgent  passport  restrictions  and 
the  whole  country  was  open  to  the  missionary. 

During  the  war  with  China  the  people  were  at 
times  intensely  excited,  but  mission  work  was  not 
interfered  with,  all  departments  of  it  being  main- 
tained as  usual.  The  missionaries  were  permitted 
to  visit  the  military  hospital  at  Kokura  and  to  dis- 
tribute Christian  literature  among  the  soldiers  e7i 
route  to  the  seat  of  war.  Detachments  of  soldiers 
who  were  quartered  from  time  to  time  near  mis- 
sion stations  were  brought  under  the  influence  of 
the  gospel,  and  the  missionaries  enjoyed  excep- 
tional opportunities  for  personal  work.  The  com- 
manders offered  no  opposition  to  Christian  work 
among  the  soldiers,  and  the  colonel  in  charge  of 
the  troops  at  Fukuoka  rendered  the  following  tes- 
timony to  the  power  of  Christianity  in  the  soldier's 
life.  He  said  :  "  Christianity  makes  a  man  a  better 
soldier.      He  does  not  seem  to  fear  death,  and  yet 


2/8     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

he  does  not  rashly  seek  it.  Whether  on  the  battle- 
field, in  the  camp,  in  the  barracks,  or  in  the  hos- 
pital, we  know  the  Christian  to  be  the  bravest,  the 
most  orderly,  the  most  patient."  This  was  the 
testimony  of  a  man  who  was  not  a  Christian. 

The  hopeful  outlook  for  missionary  work  dark- 
ened with  the  success  of  the  Japanese  in  this  war, 
for,  elated  with  victory,  they  became  indifferent  to 
Christianity.  The  millions  yet  untouched  by  the 
gospel  were  more  bitterly  opposed  than  ever  to  its 
propagation.  The  higher  classes  disdained,  and 
the  lower  classes  despised,  not  only  the  foreign 
missionary  but  Christianity,  which  they  considered 
a  foreign  religion.  With  this  and  much  more  to 
discourage  them,  the  missionaries  were  cheered  by 
the  willingness  of  Christians  to  work  with  the  mis- 
sionary force  and  their  effort  to  contribute  more 
liberally  toward  the  support  of  the  work.  Two 
gratifying  evidences  of  the  steady  and  sure  growth 
of  Christianity  were  the  awakening  of  personality 
and  the  recognition  of  the  fact  that  all  true  success 
has,  as  a  basis,  moral  integrity.  Hitherto  per- 
sonal obligations  were  to  a  large  extent  merged 
into  the  family,  the  community,  or  the  nation,  but 
new  avenues  were  opening  and  were  inspiring 
young  men  to  achieve  personal  success.  Thought- 
ful minds  were  evolving  the  question,  "  How  can 
I  reform  my  life  and  aid  in  the  moral  reformation 
of  the  nation  .-'  " 


THE    JAPANESE    MISSION  279 

Early  in  1896  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCollum  removed 
to  Fukuoka,  the  capital  of  the  province  and  prob- 
ably the  largest  city  on  the  island.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Walne  located  in  Nagasaki,  where  the  outlook 
seemed  bright.  They  were  destined  to  meet 
many  discouragements  and  disappointments,  and 
two  years  passed  without  tangible  results.  Naga- 
saki is  said  to  be  the  most  conservative  city  in  the 
empire,  and,  though  mission  work  had  been  con- 
tinuously carried  on  there  since  the  country  was 
first  opened  up,  less  than  a  dozen  natives  of  the 
city  had  been  converted.  The  Christian  commu- 
nity was  composed  of  people  who  had  come  from 
other  parts  of  the  country.  The  commercial  pros- 
perity of  the  port  drew  thither  a  large  number 
of  people  from  other  sections,  and  it  was  almost 
exclusively  among  these  that  the  missionaries 
obtained  a  hearing.  Mr.  Walne  conducted  an 
encouraging  work  in  a  neighboring  town,  where 
there  was  a  large  naval  station.  Attentive  con- 
gregations were  present  at  every  preaching  service, 
and  some  always  remained  until  late  in  the  night 
to  talk  over  what  they  had  heard.  It  was  difficult 
to  estimate  the  results  of  work  in  such  a  place,  for 
the  sailors  were  always  coming  and  going,  but  at 
least  the  people  were  most  willing  to  hear  and 
some  were  ready  to  study  the  Bible.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Maynard,  at  Kokura,  were  greatly  blessed  in 
their  efforts  to  reach  the  people  in  their  immediate 


280     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

vicinity.  Their  Sunday-school  numbered  from 
thirty-five  to  forty,  and,  with  her  knitting  classes, 
composed  of  the  larger  girls  and  several  women, 
Mrs.  Maynard  hoped  to  accomplish  some  good. 
An  hour  was  spent  in  Bible  study  and  in  reading 
some  good  book,  while  Christian  books  and  tracts 
were  lent  the  girls  to  read  at  their  homes.  The 
services  were  well  attended,  many  hearing  the 
gospel,  but  few  taking  a  decided  stand. 

The  year  1898  witnessed  some  remarkable 
changes  in  Japan,  and  none  more  important  in  its 
bearing  on  the  future  than  that  of  the  gradual 
change  of  front  in  reference  to  Christianity.  This 
was  noticeable  in  the  newspapers,  which  had  hith- 
erto welcomed  and  published  with  pleasure  articles 
abusive  of  missionaries,  Christians,  and  Christian 
teaching.  Two  of  the  leading  dailies,  published 
at  Tokio,  time  and  again  urged,  as  the  only  hope 
for  the  reformation  of  Japan,  the  adoption  of 
Christian  ethics.  A  few  of  the  leading  statesmen 
voiced  sentiments  which  could  be  construed  in 
no  other  way  than  as  favorable  to  Christianity. 
The  wide  proclamation  of  the  gospel  and  the  diffu- 
sion of  Christian  literature,  tracts,  and  jDcriodicals 
had  more  or  less  influenced  the  reading  and  think- 
ing Japanese  public.  The  missionaries  were  ac- 
corded a  respectful,  though  often  a  cold  hearing, 
and  a  desire  to  know  something  about  the  truths 
of    Christianity    was   manifest.      Buddhist    forces 


THE   JAPANESE    MISSION  28  I 

were  on  the  alert  to  withstand  this  growing  senti- 
ment. Their  periodicals  were  full  of  appeals  to 
the  people  to  prove  themselves  loyal  to  the  faith 
of  their  fathers,  and  no  opportunity  was  lost  to 
warn  the  people  against  the  encroaching  influences 
of  Christianity.  That  Buddhism  would  stubbornly 
contest  the  ground  was  evidenced  by  the  renova- 
tion of  Buddhist  temples,  the  organization  of 
schools  for  the  better  training  and  equipping  of 
Buddhist  priests,  together  with  lecture  courses  by 
noted  Buddhists,  mass  meetings  in  the  interest  of 
Buddhism  in  the  large  cities,  and  extended  tours 
of  inspection  by  influential  priests. 

Meanwhile  there  was  unusual  activity  among 
the  Christians,  and  never  before  had  so  ardent  a 
desire  for  the  salvation  of  the  lost  been  manifested. 
"Prayers  that  pleaded  for  the  manifestation  of  the 
Spirit's  power,  hand  to  hand  work  with  those  who 
would  hear,  a  larger  view  as  to  the  provision  of 
the  gospel,  together  with  the  gradual  obliteration 
of  class  distinction,"  said  Mr.  McCollum,  "are 
some  of  the  evidences  that  Christ  is  being  en- 
throned in  the  hearts  of  his  followers."  With  the 
opening  of  the  year  1899  the  Japan  Mission  re- 
ceived a  welcome  addition  in  the  person  of  Rev. 
W.  Harvey  Clark,  of  Georgia,  whose  father  had 
been  years  before  a  missionary  of  the  Board  in 
Africa.  A  few  months  later  the  mission  rejoiced 
over  the  addition  of  another  worker,  Miss  Lucile 


282     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Daniel,  also  of  Georgia,  who  went  out  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Walne  on  their  return  to  Japan,  and 
who,  on  her  arrival,  was  married  to  Mr.  Clark. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  F.  Hambleton  sailed  for 
Japan  early  in  1901,  thus  increasing  the  mis- 
sionary force  to  ten  workers.  Two  churches  have 
been  constitued,  there  are  ninety  church-members, 
nine  out-stations  are  maintained,  and  eight  native 
assistants  are  employed. 

The  growth  of  the  work  in  Japan  is  slow,  for 
material  prosperity  has  blinded  the  people  to  their 
spiritual  need.  There  is  much  to  discourage  the 
missionary,  as  he  has  to  contend  with  indifference, 
infidelity,  and  immorality,  but  he  is  not  disheart- 
ened nor  dismayed,  for  he  has  the  Master's  own 
word  of  promise,  "  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will 
draw  all  men  unto  me." 


XIII 

HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS 

THE  providence  of  God  assigned  to  the  Home 
Mission  Board  a  field  vast  in  extent,  impor- 
tant in  its  relations,  and  in  many  sections  exceed- 
ingly destitute  of  gospel  privileges.  It  included 
fourteen  States  with  an  aggregate  area  of  nine 
hundred  and  fifty-five  thousand  six  hundred  and 
sixty-four  square  miles  and  a  population  of  about 
eight  millions.  In  these  States  there  were  two 
thousand  ministers  connected  with  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination to  serve  this  vast  multitude.  These 
were  very  unequally  distributed.  Some  sections 
had  more  than  needful,  while  others  were  en- 
tirely destitute,  many  of  the  white  population 
of  mature  age  having  never  heard  the  gospel. 
Responsibility  for  this  region  fell  upon  the  Home 
Mission  Board,  and  was  accepted,  its  first  care 
being  for  the  native  white  population.  Although 
applications  were  received  for  appointments  in  the 
free  States,  the  Board  deemed  it  expedient  to  con- 
fine its  labors  within  slave-holding  States,  and 
found  that  this  chosen  field  demanded  all  its 
energy  and  resources. 

283 


284     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.     CONVENTION 

Changes  in  the  officers  of  the  Board,  insufficient 
means,  and  ignorance  of  the  real  needs  of  the 
field  greatly  hampered  its  first  efforts.  Six  mis- 
sionaries were  under  appointment  when  the  first 
annual  report  was  presented.  Rev.  A.  B.  Smith,  of 
Richmond,  Va.  ;  Rev.  John  Tucker,  in  Florida, 
the  only  ordained  minister  in  an  area  of  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  ;  Mr.  Van  Hoose,  in  Selma, 
Ala.  ;  Rev.  I.  T.  Hinton,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  in  New  Orleans,  La.  ;  and  James  Huck- 
ins  and  William  Tryon,  in  Texas.  The  two  last 
named  were  engaged  in  soliciting  funds  for  the 
erection  of  church  buildings  on  their  fields,  Gal- 
veston and  Houston.  Rev^  John  Tucker,  in  Flor- 
ida, gave  most   interesting  accounts  of  his  work.^ 

That  work  has  always  consisted  very  largely  in 
aiding  weak  churches  in  the  support  of  pastors 
and  assisting  in  the  erection  of  church  buildings. 
Within  the  year  closing  April,  1849,  ten  churches 
released  the   Board    from    further   appropriations 

^  Within  a  few  months  he  traveled  1,300  miles,  visited  80  fam- 
ilies, baptized  about  20,  and  had  4  meeting-houses  finished  in 
as  many  settlements.  With  the  aid  of  a  pastor  from  Georgia, 
lately  removed  to  Florida,  he  constituted  5  churches,  thus  mak- 
ing 6  organized  churches  within  his  circuit.  He  preached  in 
20  settlements,  but  his  stations  were  so  widely  separated  that  it 
required  about  30  days  to  make  the  circuit.  A  gradual  but 
steady  growth  marked  the  three  succeeding  years.  The  number 
of  missionaries  increased  from  6  to  57,  1,246  baptisms  were  re- 
ported, 29  churches  were  constituted,  8  church  edifices  built,  and 
16  churches  begun. 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  285 

and,  principally  by  the  agency  of  its  missionaries, 
two  local  Associations  and  one  State  Convention 
were  formed.  During  the  following  years  (1850- 
185 1)  several  new  missions  were  opened,  among 
them  one  at  Brownsville,  Texas,  a  thriving  town 
less  than  three  years  old,  with  a  population  of 
about  four  thousand,  and  at  that  time  the  great 
gateway  into  Mexico.  Rev.  J.  H.  Womb  well,  a 
Virginian  by  birth,  but  at  this  time  in  Florida, 
was  chosen  for  this  work,  in  w'hich  his  success 
was  very  marked. 

The  importance  of  evangelizing  the  cities  was 
from  the  beginning  recognized  and  emphasized  by 
the  Board,  and  strenuous  effort  was  made  toward 
securing  this  result.  In  1853  twenty  cities  of  the 
South  and  Southwest,  from  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  to 
Tampa,  Fla.,  and  from  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  to  Houston, 
Tex.,  were  stations  of  the  Home  Mission  Board  or 
contained  churches  under  its  fostering  care.  It  is 
an  interesting  fact  that  in  every  capital  city  of  the 
South,  with  the  exception  of  Frankfort,  Ky.,  the 
Home  Mission  Board  has  at  some  time  carried  on 
work  either  by  establishing  stations  or  aiding  strug- 
gling churches.  The  city  of  Washington  was 
early  recognized  as  a  center  of  national  influence, 
and  the  Board  stretched  out  a  helping  hand  to  aid 
the  First  Church  which,  in  1853,  became  self-sus- 
taining. The  Board  was  then  enabled  to  render 
assistance  to  a  newly  organized  church  under  the 


286     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

care  of  Rev.  T.  C.  Teasdale.  The  rapidly  grow- 
ing city  of  Atlanta  as  the  great  railroad  center 
for  Georgia  and  other  States  naturally  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  Board.  In  no  city  of  the 
South  have  its  efforts  been  crowned  with  such 
success.  The  cities  of  Florida  also  excited  the 
interest  of  the  Board,  and  efforts  were  made  to  es- 
tablish work  in  Key  West,  Tampa,  and  Tallahassee. 
Batesville  and  Helena,  Ark.,  claimed  its  attention. 
There  was  no  Baptist  society  at  Helena,  but  a 
church  was  soon  organized  under  circumstances 
of  unusual  interest.  A  minister  visited  the  town, 
preached  for  several  evenings  in  the  courthouse, 
and  many  were  awakened.  Two  men  who  had 
threatened  each  other's  lives  and  were  armed  for 
an  encounter,  met  in  the  place  of  worship.  The 
Spirit  of  God  touched  their  hearts.  One  asked 
for  prayer,  then  sought  out  his  enemy  in  the  audi- 
ence and  begged  his  forgiveness.  They  knelt  to- 
gether and  asked  the  forgiveness  of  God.  A 
church  was  constituted,  and  fifty  or  sixty  members 
were  received  and  a  house  of  worship  was  built. 

The  Southern  Baptist  Convention  regarded  the 
city  of  New  Orleans  as  of  as  great  importance  to 
the  religious  interests  of  the  West  as  to  its  com- 
mercial interests,  and  in  1853  directed  the  Home 
Board  to  occupy  it  at  whatever  cost  or  sacrifice. 
Prior  to  1853  the  Board  had  endeavored  to  open 
work  and  had  secured  the  services  of  Rev.  J.  E. 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  28/ 

Dawson.  Illness  compelled  him  to  resign  after 
a  few  weeks,  but  a  beginning  had  been  made. 
Preaching  services  on  the  Sabbath  were  continued, 
a  Sunday-school  was  organized,  and  a  weekly 
prayer  meeting  was  established.  The  Board  made 
earnest  efforts  to  carry  out  the  instructions  of  the 
Convention,  but  no  man  was  found  willing  to  ac- 
cept appointment.  Toward  the  close  of  the  year 
1853  the  First  Church  rented  a  hall  over  a  railway 
station  in  which  to  conduct  services.  Rev.  Wil- 
liam C.  Duncan  was  employed  to  supply  the  pul- 
pit, and  the  Home  Board  was  asked  to  aid  in  his 
support.  This  church  had  been  organized  through 
the  efforts  of  Rev.  Russell  Holman  in  1843.  ^I'- 
Holman  had  been  sent  out  by  the  American  Bap- 
tist Home  Mission  Society,  of  New  York,  to  re- 
vive the  almost  extinct  Baptist  interest  in  New 
Orleans.  He  being  a  missionary,  Rev.  I.  T.  Hin- 
ton  was  chosen  pastor.  This  church,  although 
the  offspring  of  missionary  enterprise  on  the  part 
of  the  whole  country,  felt  it  its  duty  to  align  it- 
self with  the  Baptists  south  of  the  Potomac,  and 
accordingly  sent  delegates  to  the  Convention  of 
1845.  In  July,  1854,  while  Mr.  Duncan  was  serv- 
ing the  First  Church,  a  new  church  was  organized 
with  the  view  of  occupying  the  edifice  being 
erected  with  the  legacy  of  Cornelius  Paulding, 
whose  name  is  inalienably  associated  with  the 
Baptist  cause  in  New  .Orleans,  supplemented  by 


288     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

the  gifts  of  sister  churches.  Mr.  Duncan  was 
asked  to  supply  the  pulpit  of  this  new  organiza- 
tion, known  as  the  Coliseum  Place  Church.  His 
efforts  were  greatly  blessed,  and  within  a  month 
forty  persons  were  received,  thirteen  by  baptism. 
A  Sunday-school  was  organized  which,  before  the 
close  of  the  year,  numbered  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enteen scholars.  The  schoolrooms  were  neatly 
fitted  up  with  books  and  maps  costing  over  $200. 
The  new  Coliseum  Place  Church,  which  was 
approaching  completion,  was  situated  in  the  very 
center  of  the  American  part  of  New  Orleans,  in 
what  was  considered  an  admirable  location.  The 
structure  was  well  proportioned  and  commodious, 
and  at  the  time  no  church  in  the  city  and  few  in 
the  South  could  equal  it  as  a  place  of  worship. 
The  church  was  sufficiently  well  established  in 
1855  to  decline  further  assistance  from  the  Board 
in  the  support  of  its  pastor,  only  requesting  aid  in 
finishing  the  building,  the  main  auditorium  being 
urgently  needed.  Two  years  later  the  building 
was  finished,  but  it  was  heavily  encumbered  with 
debt.  The  Board  made  strenuous  efforts  to  pay 
off  this  indebtedness,  but  it  was  not  until  i860 
that  the  mortgage  was  removed.  The  church  and 
the  treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  assumed 
the  unpaid  balance  and  the  Board  was  relieved  of 
further  responsibility.  Before  this  debt  was  can- 
celed the  financial  depression  incident  to  the  Civil 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  289 

War  overtook  the  country.  Assets  which  had 
been  accepted  as  cash  were  worthless  and  the 
church  was  unable  to  meet  its  obligations.  To 
prevent  the  loss  of  the  property  it  became  neces- 
sary for  the  Convention  to  take  a  mortgage  on  it. 
It  was  then  transferred  to  the  Board  in  full  title. 

During  the  summer  of  185 3- 1854,  a  terrible  epi- 
demic of  yellow  fever  swept  over  parts  of  Georgia, 
Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Texas, 
and  Arkansas.  Dismay  and  dread  possessed  all 
hearts,  for  death  held  undisputed  sway.  The  work 
of  the  Board  was  retarded  by  the  prevalence  of 
the  epidemic,  though  the  receipts  and  disburse- 
ments were  considerably  augmented.  The  Board 
did  not  regard  these  providential  hindrances  a 
sufficient  cause  for  abandoning  the  mission  sta- 
tions, but  rather  looked  upon  them  as  a  voice 
from  heaven  urging  to  more  energetic  endeavors. 
Several  missionaries  remained  at  their  posts, 
preaching  Christ  and  ministering  to  the  sick  and 
dying.  Rev.  A.  S.  Morrall  remained  in  Darien, 
Ga.,  during  the  whole  of  this  distressing  time  and 
baptized  one  hundred  and  sixteen  converts. 

The  tide  of  emigration  had  borne  to  California 
so  many  united  by  ties  of  blood  with  Southern 
Baptists  that  a  strong  desire  was  at  length  awak- 
ened to  send  missionaries  among  the  Americans 
in  that  State.  Generous  contributions  were  made 
to  the  Board  for  this  purpose.     The  General  As- 


290     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

sociation  of  East  Tennessee,  which  heretofore  had 
been  restricted  from  aiding  in  any  missionary 
enterprise  beyond  its  borders,  removed  that  re- 
striction and  subscribed  over  ^300  for  California. 
The  Convention  instructed  the  Home  Board  to 
enter  the  field,  but  no  man  was  found  willing  to  say 
"  Here  am  I,  send  me."  After  the  lapse  of  more 
than  a  year,  in  1855,  E.  J.  Willis,  a  young  lawyer 
of  fine  talents  and  education,  a  Southerner  by 
birth,  was  converted,  entered  the  ministry,  and  was 
strongly  recommended  to  the  Board  as  a  suitable 
missionary  for  Oakland  City.  Duty  seemed  to 
demand  Mr.  Willis'  return  to  Virginia,  after  an 
earnest  pastorate  of  a  few  months.  Rev.  J.  L. 
Shuck,  in  connection  with  his  work  among  the 
Chinese,  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  Sacramento,  which  was  said  to  be  the 
largest  in  the  State.  Throughout  the  year  i860, 
he  was  employed  as  a  general  missionary  for  the 
State,  his  labors  being  highly  prized.  A  large  num- 
ber of  churches  were  organized  through  his  agency, 
and  many  scattered  Baptists  were  brought  into 
church  relations  and  made  useful  to  the  cause. 

October  23,  1858,  Rev.  C.  N.  West,  who  had 
been  preaching  in  Sierra  Nevada  Valley,  organized 
a  church  of  seven  members  at  Santa  Cruz,  a  town 
of  some  commercial  importance  situated  in  a  beau- 
tiful valley  and  having  a  population  of  about  two 
thousand.      He  also  maintained  a  station  at  Soquel, 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  29 1 

a  town  of  two  or  three  hundred  people,  five  miles 
from  Santa  Cruz.  Two  young  men,  Rev.  G.  E. 
Davis  and  Rev.  J.  B.  Hopps,  who  had  been  trav- 
ersing the  San  Ramon  Valley  hunting  up  scattered 
Baptists  and  ministering  to  their  spiritual  needs, 
were  appointed  missionaries  of  the  Board,  so  thai 
in  1859  there  were  five  Americans  at  work  in  be- 
half of  the  Board  in  California.  Mr.  Shuck  re- 
signed his  position  as  a  general  missionary  on 
January  i,  1861,  and  returned  to  South  Carolina. 
Owing  to  the  pressure  upon  the  treasury  of  the 
Board,  and  the  fear  that  the  receipts  would  not  be 
sufficient  to  maintain  all  its  missionaries,  a  system 
of  retrenchment  was  forced  upon  it  which  com- 
pelled the  relinquishment  of  the  California  mission 
at  the  close  of   i860. 

Several  churches  under  the  fostering  care  of 
the  Board  had  received  within  the  year  numbers 
and  pecuniary  strength  sufficient  to  maintain 
themselves,  and  in  1857  relieved  the  Board  of  fur- 
ther obligation.  Among  the  number  were  Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn.,  Hannibal,  Mo.,  and  Fayetteville, 
Ark.  Texas,  where  so  much  of  the  sympathy  and 
aid  of  the  Board  had  been  expended,  had  developed 
a  large  Baptist  membership  and  an  efficient  minis- 
try. Though  needing  aid  she  had  raised  within 
the  year  $3,000  for  Home  Missions. 

A  spirit  of  progress  was  manifest  in  the  Con- 
vention of  1859.     Five  hundred  delegates  were  in 


292     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

attendance  at  Richmond,  the  largest  number  that 
up  to  that  time  had  ever  assembled.  The  Home 
l^oard  reported  an  increase  of  funds  and  one  hun- 
dred and  four  missionaries  in  its  employ.  Every 
Southern  and  Southwestern  State,  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, and  California  were  occupied.  A  new  era 
of  promise  seemed  to  be  dawning  on  Southern 
Baptists,  but  already  the  war  cloud  was  gathering 
and  before  the  meeting  of  the  next  Convention 
the  land  was  shrouded  in  gloom.  The  work  of  the 
Board  in  its  domestic  and  Indian  departments  was 
practically  suspended,  but  the  importance  of  work 
in  the  Confederate  army  was  recognized.  The 
Board  determined  to  enter  at  once  upon  army  mis- 
sions and  direct  its  attention  to  the  camps  and 
hospitals.  Appeals  for  aid  in  this  work  met  with 
sympathy  and  co-operation  and  commissions  were 
issued  to  a  number  of  consecrated,  intelligent 
ministers.  In  1863  twenty-six  army  missionaries 
were  in  its  employ.  Those  who  have  not  only 
studied  the  facts  but  judge  from  personal  observa- 
tion, state  that  the  world  has  never  seen,  since 
apostolic  times,  more  general  or  more  powerful 
revivals  than  were  witnessed  in  the  Confederate 
army,  and  that  there  was  never  a  mission  field  that 
yielded  richer  harvest  to  the  faithful  laborers.  It 
is  said  that  the  old  sneer,  "  an  army  is  a  school  of 
vice "  was  changed  into  the  blessed  reality  that 
the  Confederate  army  was  a  school  of  Christ. 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  293 

The  missionary's  plan  of  operation  was  an  elas- 
tic one,  to  meet  the  diverse  needs  of  army  life. 
Sometimes  he  accompanied  regiments  or  brigades 
on  long  marches,  preaching  as  opportunity  offered  ; 
sometimes  he  moved  from  camp  to  camp,  talking 
with  the  men,  holding  meetings  for  prayer  and  ex- 
hortation, and  distributing  Testaments,  tracts,  and 
religious  newspapers.  Sometimes  within  the  walls 
of  strong  and  defiant  forts  he  pointed  men  to  Him 
who  alone  was  their  fortress  and  their  deliverer. 
Though  large  numbers  of  books,  tracts,  and  re- 
ligious newspapers  were  put  in  circulation,  the  sup- 
ply was  not  equal  to  the  demand.  There  was  a 
great  thirst  for  reading  among  the  soldiers,  even 
among  those  who  did  not  care  for  it  at  home  where 
they  had  other  means  of  communication  and  en- 
tertainment. A  missionary  visiting  a  hospital  in 
Mobile  announced  as  he  entered  a  ward  that  he 
had  procured  a  few  Testaments  for  distribution. 
The  patients,  regardless  of  pain  and  weakness 
scrambled  toward  him  in  their  desire  to  obtain  the 
prize.  An  endeavor  was  made  to  place  a  copy  of 
the  Scriptures  in  the  hands  of  every  soldier  in  the 
Confederate  army.  It  was  estimated  that  nearly 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men  were  con- 
verted during  the  progress  of  the  war,  and  it  was 
believed  that  fully  one-third  of  the  soldiers  in  the 
field  were  praying  men  and  members  of  some 
branch  of  the  Christian  church. 


294     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    COxWENTION 

In  this  great  work  of  soul-saving  and  ministry 
the  missionaries  of  the  Home  Board  performed  no 
insignificant  part.  Among  them  were  found  such 
distinguished  men  as  I.  T.  Tichenor,  E.  W.  War- 
ren, J.  Wm.  Jones,  J.  B.  Hawthorne,  Russel  Hol- 
man,  W.  C.  Buck,  A.  D.  Sears,  J.  J.  D.  Renfroe, 
A.  E.  Dickinson,  J.  L.  Reynolds,  and  John  A, 
Broadus.  How  nobly  the  churches  responded  to 
the  demands  made  by  the  Home  Board  is  evi- 
denced by  the  twentieth  annual  report,  closing 
April,  1865,  which  stated  that  the  work  of  the 
Board  had  been  increased  beyond  any  year  since 
its  organization.  The  spirit  of  liberality  had 
never  been  more  manifest.  No  appeal  had  been 
made  in  vain  and  many  had  been  responded  to 
with  unusual  generosity.  Seventy-eight  army  mis- 
sionaries had  been  employed  by  the  Board  and  the 
salaries  of  eleven  chaplains  had  been  supplemented 
to  enable  them  to  remain  at  their  posts.  Though 
the  year  closed  with  many  causes  for  gratitude  the 
outlook  was  gloomy.  The  hopes  of  the  people 
were  disappointed,  ruin  and  desolation  were  every- 
where, and  exhausted  finances  gave  scant  promise 
of  any  speedy  aid  for  the  Board. 

Kentucky  was  the  first  State  to  extend  a  help- 
ing hand,  and  the  secretary  of  the  Board,  Doctor 
Sumner,  was  invited  by  the  General  Association 
to  come  and  solicit  funds  for  the  work  of  the 
Board.      In  about  six  weeks  ^10,000  was  secured, 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  295 

and  the  note  there  sounded  found  an  echo  in  many 
States,  notably  Maryland,  Missouri,  and  Texas. 
With  the  funds  thus  collected  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant points  in  the  older  States  were  enabled  to 
regain  their  independence,  and  in  many  instances 
the  subsequent  prosperity  of  these  churches  was 
due,  in  no  small  measure  to  the  timely  aid  afforded 
by  the  Board. 

So  much  money  and  labor  had  been  expended 
by  the  Board  in  New  Orleans  that  a  deep  interest 
was  felt  in  the  events  which  had  taken  place  there 
since  the  property  had  been  transferred  to  the 
Board  in  1863.  In  the  summer  of  that  year  Rev. 
J.  W.  Horton,  a  representative  of  the  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  visited  New  Or- 
leans, as  he  said  to  look  after  Baptist  interests. 
The  Coliseum  Place  Church  did  not  desire  his 
services  and  was  unwilling  to  surrender  the  house 
to  him.  He  obtained  a  military  order  from  Gen- 
eral Bowen,  provost  marshal,  and  thus  forcibly 
obtained  possession.  Only  five  out  of  about  sixty- 
five  members  then  in  the  city  continued  to  wor- 
ship in  the  house  under  the  new  administration. 
Rev.  Russell  Holman  was  sent  to  New  Orleans 
in  December,  1865,  to  see  if  it  was  practicable 
to  recover  the  property  and  to  take  the  neces- 
sary steps  to  accomplish  it.  After  various  requi- 
sitions had  been  complied  with  an  order  was 
issued  for  the   restoration   of   the    property,  and 


296     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

on  March  12,  1866,  the  keys  were  dehvered  in 
due  form.  At  the  commencement  of  the  war 
the  church  numbered  one  hundred  and  eighty 
members ;  when  Doctor  Hohnan  endeavored  to 
gather  the  scaitered  flock  only  iifty-five  could  be 
found,  and  these  were  in  humble  circumstances. 
A  heavy  debt  hung  over  the  church,  and  the  Board 
was  obliged  to  mortgage  the  property  in  order  to 
provide  for  it,  and  for  a  number  of  years  could  do 
nothing  more  than  carry  the  mortgage. 

The  Board  rapidly  regained  its  footing,  and  in 
1866  fifty-three  missionaries  were  in  its  employ 
and  were  at  work  in  every  Southern  State  except 
Maryland  and  Louisiana.  Encouraged  by  success 
and  anticipating  a  more  prosperous  year,  the  Board 
enlarged  its  work  until  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  missionaries  were  employed.  Hopes  of  pros- 
perity were  not  realized.  Yet  greater  financial 
depression  awaited  the  country,  and  retrenchment 
or  a  steadily  increasing  debt  were  the  alternatives 
that  confronted  the  Board.  Its  missionaries  were 
reduced  in  number  until  in  1869,  they  numbered 
only  twenty-six.  The  darkest  period  in  the  history 
of  the  Board  continued  from  1868  to  1882,  reach- 
ing its  lowest  point  from  1875  to  1879.  It  alter- 
nated between  retrenchment  and  enlargement  until 
an  ever-increasing  debt  rendered  a  steady  reduc- 
tion of  expenses  necessary.  The  need  confronting 
it  on  every  side  led  it  to  hail  every  promise  of  in- 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  297 

creased  contributions  and  endeavor  to  extend  its 
work  only  to  find  the  promise  unfulfilled.  A  noble 
instance  of  self-sacrifice  is  recorded  during  this 
time.  A  heavy  debt  encumbered  the  Board  and  it 
was  unable  to  meet  its  liabilities.  In  order  that 
the  burden  might  be  lightened,  an  old  missionary 
sue:o;ested  that  all  should  donate  the  balance  due 
them,  or  as  much  as  possible  to  the  Board.  Though 
themselves  oppressed  with  poverty  there  was 
prompt  response  to  the  suggestion.'^ 

The  fearful  epidemic  that  swept  over  the  South- 
west in  the  autumn  of  1878  was  another  severe 
blow  to  the  Home  Mission  Board.  Contributions 
from  the  stricken  districts  were  not  only  cut  off, 
but  the  benevolence  of  other  sections  was  severely 
taxed  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  desolated  section. 
Dr.  N.  W.  Wilson,  pastor  of  the  Coliseum  Place 
Church,  fell  at  his  post,  and  many  another  noble 
man  faced  danger  and  death  out  of  loyalty  to  the 
Lord  Christ.  A  light  was  cast  athwart  the  cloud 
which  shadowed  the  Southwest  by  the  sympathy 

1  The  twenty-fiflh  annual  report  of  the  Home  Board,  presented 
to  the  Convention  of  1870,  reviewed  the  history  of  a  quarter  of  a 
century  and  stated  that  1,189  commissions  had  been  issued  to 
missionaries  and  evangehsts,  268  churches  constituted,  and 
18,598  persons  baptized.  The  Board  continued  its  policy  of  re- 
trenchment until  in  1876  fewer  missionaries  were  employed  and 
less  work  done  than  for  many  years  previous.  Two  years  later 
all  debts  to  missionaries  of  former  years  had  been  paid  with  the 
exception  of  three,  of  whom  nothing  could  be  learned. 


298     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

and  generosity  manifested  toward  it  by  our  coun- 
try and  the  world.  Tlie  year  following  (1879) 
brought  health,  a  fruitful  season,  and  an  improved 
financial  outlook  to  all  the  industries  of  the  South  ; 
but  the  receipts  of  the  Board  were  still  inadequate 
to  supply  the  wide  and  necessitous  field  committed 
to  its  care.  It  was,  however,  relieved  of  the  burden 
of  debt  and  was  widening  its  sphere  and  pressing 
forward  into  the  regions  beyond.  There  was  an 
increased  interest  in  the  work  of  home  evangeliza- 
tion ;  State  Boards  multiplied,  enlarged  their  ope- 
rations, and  divided  the  funds  expended  upon  the 
home  field,  though  the  larger  part  was  turned  into 
their  own  treasury.  These  State  Mission  Boards 
were  a  direct  outgrowth  of  the  work  of  the  Home 
Mission  Board,  and  it  rendered  valuable  service  by 
its  agency  in  their  creation.  In  some  States  these 
local  organizations  have  been  so  efficient  as  to  re- 
lieve the  Board  of  any  further  responsibility  for 
their  evangelization. 

At  its  meeting  in  1881  the  attention  of  the 
Convention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  New  Or- 
leans was  rapidly  growing  in  commercial  impor- 
tance, and  that  Baj^tists  were  making  but  little 
effort  to  promulgate  the  truth  in  that  city.  There 
was  at  this  time  only  one  self-sustaining  white 
Baptist  church  in  New  Orleans.  The  organization 
of  the  First  Church  had  been  preserved  and  en- 
joyed the  services  of  Rev.  M.  C.  Cole,  who  was 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  299 

maintained  in  part  by  the  Mission  Board  of  the 
MississijDpi  Convention.  The  church  had  no  house 
of  worship  but  held  services  in  a  building  rented 
by  the  Mississippi  Convention.  The  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  instructed  the  Board  to  send 
two  or  more  competent  and  efficient  missionaries 
to  New  Orleans  as  soon  as  practicable.  Cor- 
respondence was  opened  with  the  Coliseum  Place 
Church  preparatory  to  inaugurating  mission  work 
in  the  city.  The  church  was  found  to  be  strug- 
gling under  a  burden  of  debt.  The  property  was 
mortgaged  and  the  church  was  unable  to  pay  ac- 
cruing interest  and  at  the  same  time  meet  current 
expenses.  It  requested  that  the  Board  begin  its 
work  by  aiding  in  the  support  of  a  pastor.  The 
large  amount  already  invested  in  this  interest,  its 
value  as  a  center  of  missionary  operations,  and  the 
importance  of  retaining  the  advantages  already 
gained,  led  the  Board  to  render  the  needed  aid. 
A  joint  and  unanimous  call  was  extended  by  the 
church  and  the  Board  to  Sylvanus  Landrum,  d.  d., 
to  become  pastor  of  the  church  and  missionary  of 
the  Board.  He  entered  upon  his  duties  Decem- 
ber 10,  1 88 1,  supported  by  a  band  of  consecrated, 
self-denying  men  and  women. 

By  the  combined  efforts  of  the  church  and  the 
Board  the  debt  was  greatly  reduced  and  in  1885 
it  was  paid.  The  church  no  longer  required  aid 
from  the  Board  but  entered  upon  an  aggressive 


300     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

missionary  campaign  in  another  part  of  the  city. 
A  Chinese  Sunday-school  was  opened  and  two  in- 
dustrial schools  established  in  different  locations. 
A  lot  in  that  part  of  the  city  called  Carrollton  was 
given  to  the  church  and  Doctor  Landrum  secured 
the  erection  of  a  small  house  upon  it  and  organized 
a  Sunday-school  and  an  industrial  school.  In  1884 
the  Board  purchased  a  building  for  the  First 
Church,  which  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  M. 
C.  Cole  was  steadidly  growing  and  developing  into 
an  active  and  efficient  body  of  Christians.  The 
Valance  Street  Mission  was  a  result  of  the  efforts 
of  the  First  Church  and  was  located  about  a  mile 
away.  A  lot  was  purchased  on  which  to  erect  a 
house  of  worship  which  was  greatly  needed  as  the 
rented  rooms  were  filled  to  overflowing.  There 
were  enough  Baptists  in  the  vicinity  to  constitute 
a  church  and  it  was  thought  that  with  a  house  of 
worship  a  permanent  center  of  influence  could  soon 
be  established  in  that  section  of  the  city.  An  in- 
dustrial school,  a  Sunday-school,  and  a  prayer 
meeting  were  established  and  in  January,  1885, 
Rev.  O.  F.  Gregory  was  appointed  to  take  charge 
of  the  mission.  Another  industrial  school  was  es- 
tablished in  connection  with  the  First  Church  and 
these  two  schools  numbered  about  five  hundred 
pupils.  They  proved  an  efificient  means  of  open- 
ing the  homes  to  the  missionaries  and  of  bringing 
the  children,  and  often  the   grown  people  of  the 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  3OI 

household,  to  Sunday-school  and  to  the  services  of 
the  church.  Miss  Emma  J.  Gardner  and  Miss 
Maitie  Cole  were  employed  as  missionaries  in  New 
Orleans  and  as  teachers  in  the  industrial  schools. 
Their  devotion  to  the  work  was  crowned  with 
gratifying  success. 

The  removal  of  the  Home  Board,  in  1882,  from 
Marion,  Ala.,  to  Atlanta,  Ga.,  marked  a  new  era 
of  progress  and  prosperity,  and  the  dawn  of  deeper 
interest  and  sympathy  in  the  hearts  of  South- 
ern Baptists.  The  corresponding  secretary  was 
greatly  encouraged  by  his  visits  to  Conventions  and 
Associations,  every  State  visited  agreeing  to  do 
more  than  ever  before  for  the  Board.  The  Board 
was  in  active  co-operation  with  the  State  Boards  of 
Georgia,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Florida,  Arkansas, 
and  with  the  Boards  of  both  the  State  Convention 
and  General  Association  of  Texas.  Its  relations  with 
all  the  State  Boards  were  most  cordial.  The  Board 
was  encouraged  to  enlarge  its  work,  Florida,  Lou- 
isiana, and  Texas  especially  claiming  its  benefi- 
cence. The  Convention  expressed  the  desire  that 
the  Board  should  confine  its  mission  work  to  those 
States  unable  to  meet  the  demands  of  their  own 
destitution.  In  accordance  with  this  desire  ap- 
pointments in  the  older  States  where  effective 
organizations  existed,  with  one  exception,  were  not 
renewed,  while  in  the  more  destitute  States  they 
were  increased.     The  General  Association  of  Mis- 


302     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

souri  resolved  to  support  a  missionary  in  New 
Orleans  through  the  Board,  and  in  conjunction 
with  the  State  Board  of  Tennessee  a  mission  was 
established  in  Memphis.  This  growing  city  had 
been  so  impoverished  by  yellow  fever  that  the 
Baptist  cause,  always  weak,  greatly  needed  aid. 
There  were  few  more  important  points  for  mission 
work.  Missionaries  to  the  number  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-four  were  employed  by  the  Board,  who 
baptized  into  fellowship  of  the  churches,  two  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  sixty-five.  In  all  its  history 
the  labors  of  its  missionaries  had  never  been  more 
effective  in  advancing  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 

In  its  report  to  the  Convention  of  1883,  the 
Board  called  attention  to  the  new  communities  in 
Florida,  Texas,  and  other  States,  which  needed 
homes  of  worship  and  stated  that  the  missionaries 
could  do  little  permanent  work  without  such 
houses  for  the  churches  they  gathered.  New  set- 
tlers often  exhaust  their  means  in  constructing 
houses  for  themselves  and  preparing  for  the  busi- 
ness of  life  and  have  little  left  to  give  toward 
church  buildings.  A  little  aid  from  the  Board 
would  often  stimulate  them  to  successful  effort.  A 
fund  for  this  purpose  would  facilitate  the  establish- 
ment of  permanent  and  self-supporting  churches 
in  many  destitute  places  and  was  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  the  success  of  home  mission  work. 
The  Convention  authorized  the  Board  to  raise  a 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OI'ERATIONS  303 

fund  for  church-building  purposes  from  which, 
either  by  gift  or  loan,  it  would  be  able  to  aid  in 
the  construction  of  houses  of  worship.  Knowing 
the  extent  of  the  territory  and  the  difificulties  to  be 
encountered  in  introducing  a  new  enterprise,  the 
Board  divided  the  field  into  two  sections,  the 
Southern  States  lying  East  of  the  Mississippi 
River  constituting  one  division,  and  those  west  of 
the  river  the  other.  The  services  of  Rev.  G.  A. 
Nunnally  were  secured  as  secretary  of  the  eastern 
division  and  he  entered  upon  his  duties  November 
I,  1883.  The  success  of  this  movement  exceeded 
the  expectations  of  the  Board.  The  secretary 
visited  all  the  State  Conventions  and  many  of  the 
district  Associations  and  presented  the  work  to  a 
number  of  churches.  "  The  movement  was  fully 
endorsed  and  enthusiastically  sustained  at  all  these 
meetings."  Everywhere  Doctor  Nunnally  met 
with  gratifying  success.  In  many  towns  and 
growing  centers  lots  were  secured,  sometimes  by 
the  generosity  of  the  landowners,  sometimes  by 
purchase,  and  sometimes  valuable  lots  were  ten- 
dered upon  condition  that  neat  churches  be  erected 
upon  them  within  a  given  time.  The  phenome- 
nal success  of  this  work  gave  rise  to  the  fear 
that  it  would  overshadow  other  departments  of 
mission  work.  The  desire  having  been  expressed 
by  leading  brethren,  some  of  whom  were  in  charge 
of  State  Boards,  that  money  for  church-building 


304     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

should  not  be  raised  by  appeals  to  the  churches, 
as  is  usually  done  for  missions,  but  that  the  meth- 
ods used  in  raising  endowments  for  our  colleges 
should  be  adopted,  the  Board  acceded  to  this 
plan.  Doctor  Nunnally  resigned  and  the  depart- 
ment was  discontinued.  Arrangements  were  ef- 
fected with  the  State  Boards  of  Floiida  and  the 
Board  of  the  General  Association  of  Texas  by  which 
certain  sums  of  money  were  to  be  expended  for 
church  building  in  those  States.  These  sums  were 
to  be  loaned  to  churches  on  easy  terms  and  were 
designed  to  be  the  beginning  of  a  permanent  fund 
for  church  building  in  those  States.  By  this  policy 
the  Board  hoped  to  bring  itself  into  closer  alliance 
with  the  State  Boards  and  thus  secure  more  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  field,  and  the  co-operation 
of  these  Boards  in  rendering  more  certain  the  prompt 
return  of  the  sums  loaned  to  the  churches  of  the 
State. 

The  fortieth  Annual  Report  of  the  Home  Board, 
presented  to  the  Convention  of  1885,  was  the  best 
it  had  ever  made.  In  reviewing  the  past  years  of 
its  history  it  was  learned  that  forty  thousand  per- 
sons had  been  baptized  by  its  missionaries.  Some 
of  the  strongest  and  most  efficient  churches  in  the 
South,  it  was  shown,  had  once  been  mission  stations 
of  the  Board.  The  building  up  of  churches  in  the 
cities  was  only  a  small  part  of  the  work  accom- 
plished ;  from  the  efforts  put  forth  on  the  frontier 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  305 

whole  Associations  of  flourishing  churches  had 
sprung  into  existence,  which  had  become  centers 
of  influence  for  the  regions  around  and  beyond. 
During  the  year  1884,  more  missionaries  had  been 
employed  and  more  work  done  than  ever  before. 

The  important  work  which  the  Board  has  car- 
ried on  in  the  mountain  region  extending  from 
Virginia  to  Alabama  was  inaugurated  in  1885. 
The  majority  of  the  people  in  this  section  were 
either  Baptists,  or  were  under  Baptist  influence, 
but  they  had  meager  opportunities  for  intellectual 
or  spiritual  culture  and  were  for  the  most  part  very 
poor.  Their  claims  as  brethren  as  well  as  the  future 
of  the  denomination  demanded  that  the  Board 
should  extend  a  helping  hand.  In  co-operation 
with  the  Convention  of  that  section  the  Board  sup- 
ported twelve  missionaries  in  western  North  Caro- 
lina and  the  result  of  their  efforts  was  very  en- 
couraging. This  section  of  the  State  was  rapidly 
assuming  importance.  Railroads  were  being  con- 
structed, sources  of  wealth  were  being  discovered, 
and  health  resorts  were  being  opened.  New  cen- 
ters of  influence  demanded  the  establishment  of 
new  churches  and  the  erection  of  new  houses  of 
worship.  The  Baptists  outnumbered  all  other  de- 
nominations on  this  field  and  it  was  said  that 
three-fourths  of  the  land  in  western  North  Caro- 
lina belonged  to  members  of  Baptist  churches. 
The  Board  was  co-operating  witli  the  State  Board 

u 


306     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

of  Arkansas  in  endeavoring  to  supply  the  demand 
of  that  needy  and  promising  field.  The  forty 
thousand  Baptists  scattered  over  the  State  needed 
to  be  unified  and  organized  for  work.  Of  her 
seventy-five  counties,  the  county  seats  of  twenty- 
five  had  no  Baptist  church  and  no  house  of  wor- 
ship, and  among  the  others  there  was  scarcely  a 
church  strong  enough  to  support  a  pastor. 

During  the  year  1885  the  Board  reported 
$20,000  raised  and  expended  for  church-building. 
In  addition  to  forty-nine  churches  built  on  mission 
fields,  a  church  was  erected  for  the  Valance  Street 
mission  and  a  home  bought  for  the  new  Locust 
Street  interest  in  New  Orleans,  and  two  churches 
in  Georgia  and  one  in  Virginia  were  aided  in  se- 
curing houses  of  worship.  Though  much  had 
been  accomplished  in  forty  years,  the  work  to  be 
done  was  three-fold  greater  than  when  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Convention  was  laid.  In  1845  the 
population  of  the  southern  States  numbered  seven 
millions,  in  1886  they  numbered  twenty-two  mil- 
lions. The  years  1885-86  witnessed  an  extension 
of  the  work  of  the  Board  beyond  any  previous 
year  in  its  history,  an  extension  to  which  the 
women's  societies  lent  generous  aid. 

Work  in  the  mountain  region  was  enlarged  in 
1887  by  the  appointment  of  Rev.  F.  C.  McConnell 
to  labor  in  the  mountains  of  North  Georgia.  Born 
and  reared  among  this  people,  Mr.  McConnell  was 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  307 

admirably  adapted  for  such  a  mission.  Success  at- 
tended his  efforts  in  founding  schools  and  holding 
theological  institutes.  At  these  institutes  instruc- 
tion was  given  in  the  leading  doctrines  of  the 
Bible,  in  parliamentary  practice,  and  in  sermon- 
making.  Mr.  McConnell  continued  in  this  work 
until  1893,  when  he  was  elected  assistant  corre- 
sponding secretary  of  the  Home  Mission  Board. 
Mission  work  in  Florida  made  steady  progress  and 
under  the  guidance  of  Rev.  W.  N.  Chaudoin  the 
Baptists  moved  forward  to  possess  the  State. 
Ghurch  buildings  were  greatly  needed  and  during 
the  years  1887-88,  the  Board  made  extraordinary 
efforts  to  supply  the  demand.  In  the  erection  of 
buildings  $10,000  was  expended  at  different  mis- 
sion stations  in  the  State.  In  Texas  also  the 
work  prospered,  though  a  large  area  was  still  un- 
occupied and  a  population  of  four  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  was  destitute  of  gospel  privileges. 
Oklahoma  was  opened  for  settlement  in  April, 
1889,  and  soon  became  an  important  field  for 
home  mission  operations.  These  were  needed 
and  have  been  effecti\'e. 

The  Home  Board  was  under  standing  instruc- 
tions from  the  Convention  to  form  and  maintain 
the  closest  connection  with  the  State  Boards  in 
such  way  as  should  be  mutually  agreeable  and 
year  by  year  the  helpfulness  of  this  co-operation 
was  more  clearly  demonstrated.     A  review  of  the 


308     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

ten  years  since  the  reorganization  of  the  Home 
Mission  Board  i3resentecl  to  the  Convention  of 
1892,  amply  demonstrated  its  right  to  a  permanent 
place  in  the  sympathy  and  interest  of  the  denomi- 
nation. Within  those  ten  years  twice  as  much 
had  been  accomplished  as  in  the  whole  thirty-seven 
of  its  previous  history.  Work  on  the  frontier,  in 
the  mountains,  and  in  the  cities,  continued  to  claim 
the  interest  of  the  Board.  It  aided  weak  churches  in 
Washington,  Nashville,  Memphis,  and  New  Or- 
leans. In  the  last,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  D.  I. 
Purser  at  Valance  St.  Church  and  Rev.  J.  F. 
Purser  at  the  First  Church  the  cause  was  greatly 
strengthened  and  was  never  so  encouraging,  al- 
though the  death  of  Dr.  D.  I.  Purser  by  yellow 
fever  in  1897  was  a  great  loss.  In  some  portions 
of  the  mountain  district,  as  in  north  Georgia, 
eastern  Kentucky,  and  western  North  Carolina, 
the  year  1895  witnessed  gratifying  progress. 
Better  preachers  were  demanded,  houses  of  wor- 
ship were  erected,  schools  were  established,  and 
the  outlook  betokened  a  bright  future.  Numbers 
among  these  mountaineers  are  Baptists  by  prefer- 
ence. They  are  not  a  reading  people  and  their  re- 
ligious ideas  and  convictions  are  not  derived  from 
promiscuous  literature,  but  are  based  upon  the 
teachings  of  the  Bible.  A  sturdy,  reliable  folk, 
the  growing  development  of  the  material  resources 
of  their  region,  and  their  eagerness  for  education. 


HO.ME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  309 

will  make  them,  if  rightly  directed,  a  power  in  the 
affairs  of  the  nation. 

In  North  Carolina  the  efforts  of  the  Board  have 
been  signally  blessed.  Rev.  John  E.  White,  for  a 
number  of  years  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
State  Board,  says  that  the  great  progress  made 
by  North  Carolina  since  the  war  has  been  in  no 
small  degree  effected  by  the  timeliness  and  thor- 
oughness of  the  energy  the  Home  Board  brought 
to  bear  on  the  situation  immediately  after  the  war. 
The  cause  was  prostrate,  and  it  seemed  impossible 
out  of  the  wreck  to  restore  the  spirit  of  co-opera- 
tion and  concerted  effort  in  State  missions.  The 
Home  Board,  itself  weak,  came  to  the  rescue,  took 
hold  of  these  mission  stations,  and  maintained  them 
until  the  State  Board  was  able  to  regain  its  foot- 
ing. Another  tribute  to  the  work  of  the  Home 
Board  is  paid  by  Rev.  W.  N.  Chaudoin,  corre- 
sponding secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Florida. 
He  thinks  it  questionable  if  there  is  a  State  in 
the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  that,  considering 
population,  time,  and  money  spent,  can  show  better 
results.  Eighteen  years  ago  there  was  not  a  re- 
spectable house  of  worship  in  a  town  or  city  in 
the  State,  certainly  not  one  that  would  be  so  con- 
sidered now.  At  present  there  are  few  county 
towns  without  a  church  building,  and  probably  not 
a  county  that  has  not  a  Baptist  church  organiza- 
tion.    But  best  of  all,  he  thinks,  is  the  fact  that 


310     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

the  people  are  developing  a  broad,  deep,  conse- 
crated missionary  spirit  that  embraces  the  whole 
work  of  missions  and  of  Christian  education.  The 
testimony  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Gambrell,  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Texas,  to  the 
work  of  the  Home  Board  is  a  strong  one.  He 
says  the  Baptists  lead  all  other  people  in  Texas, 
and  this  is  to  be  credited  to  the  constant  help  of  the 
Home  Board  for  more  than  fifty  years.  Doctor 
Gambrell  thinks  Texas  will  become  the  Imperial 
Baptist  State  of  America  by  the  continued  aid  of 
the  Home  Board,  and  in  fifty  years  will  do  more 
for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  than  all  the  South  is 
now  doing. 

Serious  complications  had  arisen  among  the 
Baptists  of  Oklahoma,  owing  partly  to  doctrinal 
differences,  but  greatly  increased  and  accentuated 
by  the  fact  that  two  different  Boards,  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  and  the  Home 
Mission  Board,  were  trying  to  occupy  the  same 
territory.  So  intense  had  the  rivalry  become  that 
there  were  two  Territorial  Conventions.  The 
work  could  not  prosper  in  the  midst  of  such  fric- 
tion and  bitterness,  and  an  endeavor  to  bring  the 
rival  factions  into  harmony  and  co-operation  be- 
came imperative.  A  committee  of  five  from  the 
Home  Mission  Society,  five  from  the  Home  Mis- 
sion Board,  and  five  from  each  of  the  Territorial 
Conventions,    met   in   Oklahoma    City   in    March, 


HOME    MISSIONARY    OPERATIONS  3  I  I 

1900,  to  consider  the  best  way  of  meeting  and 
surmounting  the  difficulties.  Plans  were  devised 
and  heartily  agreed  to  looking  to  the  union  of  the 
two  Conventions  and  the  bringing  of  the  brethren 
into  harmonious  relations.  Later  in  the  year, 
when  the  rival  Conventions  of  the  Territory  met 
in  joint  session,  the  plans  were  ratified  and  unifi- 
cation was  made  an  assured  fact.  The  outlook  is 
brighter  now  than  for  years  past. 

The  Home  Mission  Board  has  made  vigorous 
and  sustained  efforts  to  meet  the  demands  of  the 
territory  assigned  to  it,  but  the  increasing  needs 
of  the  field  have  more  than  kept  pace  with  the 
increase  of  men  and  means  to  meet  it.  The  un- 
evangelized  part  of  the  population  of  the  South 
has  in  fifty  }'ears  increased  from  less  than  three 
millions  to  four  times  that  number.  This  fact 
appeals  with  measureless  force  for  the  steady  and 
rapid  extension  of  home  mission  work  in  every 
destitute  section  of  the  South. 


XIV 

MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES 

THE  religious  welfare  of  the  Negroes  in  the 
South  had  long  enlisted  in  their  behalf  the 
interest  and  effort  of  Christian  people.  It  was 
not  strange,  therefore,  that  when  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  was  organized  in  1845  ^^^ 
Board  of  Domestic  Missions  was  directed  "to 
take  all  prudent  measures  for  the  instruction  of 
the  colored  population,"  and  that  in  the  first  ad- 
dress of  that  Convention  to  their  brethren  of  the 
United  States  they  said  :  "  We  sympathize  with 
the  Macedonian  cry  from  every  part  of  the  heathen 
world,  with  the  low  moan  for  spiritual  aid  of  the 
four  millions  of  half-stified  red  men,  our  neighbors, 
with  the  sons  of  Ethiopia  among  us,  stretching 
forth  their  hands  of  supplication  for  the  gospel  to 
God  and  to  all  his  people." 

The  committee  appointed  at  the  second  meeting 
of  the  Convention  in  1846  to  consider  this  ques- 
tion, stated  in  its  report  that  this  department  of 
Christian  effort  had  been  growing  in  interest  and 
efficiency  for  several  years.  Many  pastors  had  de- 
voted one  sermon  on  each  Sabbath  to  the  benefit 
312 


MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES         313 

of  this  class.  In  many  churches  the  Negroes 
were  mstructed  in  the  principles  of  Christian  dis- 
cipline, and  colored  deacons  were  appointed  to  take 
the  oversight  of  the  colored  members.  Prayer 
meetings  and  Sabbath-schools  for  oral  instruction 
were  organized  with  happy  effect.  Dr.  Robert  Ry- 
land,  for  so  long  the  successful  president  of  Rich- 
mond College,  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  the 
First  African  Church  in  Richmond,  and  had  in  his 
Sunday-school  a  band  of  trained  teachers  from  the 
white  church,  which  gave  to  the  Negroes  the  use 
of  their  large  and  valuable  house  of  worship.  The 
committee,  however,  suggested  that  the  domestic 
missionaries  be  instructed  to  endeavor  to  meet  a 
demand  not  adequately  met,  and,  in  compliance 
with  this  suggestion,  the  Board  reported  to  the 
Convention  of  1849  ^^^^  ^^s  missionaries  had  been 
directed  to  devote  a  portion  of  their  time  and 
service  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Negroes 
within  the  range  of  their  influence,  and  that  two 
men  had  been  appointed  especially  to  minister  to 
them. 

The  missionaries  met  with  encouragement,  not 
only  from  the  Negroes,  who  welcomed  their  visits 
and  listened  to  them  with  pleasure  and  interest, 
but  from  their  masters  also,  who  not  only  con- 
sented to  have  meetings  held  on  the  plantations 
but  solicited  the  holding  of  such  meetings.  Some 
of  these  became  so  awakened  to  the  spiritual  needs 


314     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B,    CONVENTION 

of  their  slaves  that  they  erected  houses  of  worship 
on  their  plantations,  while  others  gave  liberally  to 
sustain  the  ministry  among  them.  In  most  in- 
stances the  Negroes  had  no  churches  of  their  own, 
but  provision  was  made  for  them  in  the  houses  of 
worship  of  the  whites,  and  those  living  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  churches  usually  had  access 
to  all  religious  privileges.  When  practicable,  mis- 
sionaries held  separate  services  for  slaves,  and  all 
bore  favorable  testimony  to  the  transforming  in- 
fluence of  the  gospel  on  the  hearts  and  lives  of  the 
people.  The  work  of  carrying  on  missionary  opera- 
tions among  the  Negroes,  however,  was  a  delicate 
and  difficult  one,  and  the  Board  realizing  this, 
adopted  the  following  plan.  If  any  Association  or 
church  desired  to  have  a  mission  among  the  Afri- 
cans, and  was  willing  to  raise  an  amount  which 
would  equal  at  least  half  the  expense,  the  Board 
would,  as  far  as  it  could,  furnish  the  remainder, 
provided  the  mission  was  placed  under  the  im- 
mediate supervision  of  an  executive  committee  of 
the  Association  or  church,  without  whose  nomina- 
tion no  missionary  should  be  appointed,  and  to 
which  the  missionary  should  report  periodically  as 
well  as  to  the  Board.  Under  this  arrangement  a 
mission  was  established  in  Baltimore,  at  the  request 
of  and  with  the  co-operation  of  the  Maryland  Union 
Association.  It  was  put  in  charge  of  Noah  Davis, 
whose    piety    inspired    confidence    in    his    labors. 


MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES  3  I  5 

Most  of  the  missionaries  in  connection  with  their 
white  charges  ministered  also  to  the  Negroes,  but 
the  Board  attempted  to  meet  the  needs  of  the 
more  destitute  sections  by  special  missionaries. 
One  of  these  was  sent  to  the  swamps  of  Mississippi, 
a  section  populated  almost  entirely  by  Negroes, 
many  of  whom  had  scarcely  ever  heard  preaching. 
Efforts  for  the  evangelization  of  the  Negro  were 
continued  with  undiminished  interest  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  That  these  efforts  i 
were  attended  with  blessing,  the  numbers  of  Bap- 
tists  among  the  Negroes  of  the  South  at  that  time 
bear  abundant  testimony.  According  to  attainable  \ 
statistics  there  were,  in  i860,  over  four  hundred 
thousand  Baptists.  It  would  not  have  been  strange 
if,  in  the  changed  conditions  following  the  Civil  War, 
all  attempts  to  evangelize  the  Negro  had  been 
abandoned.  Yet  during  this  exciting  time  the 
whites  contributed  largely  to  the  repairing  or 
building  of  Negro  churches,  and  the  pastors  gen- 
erally stood  ready  to  help  them  as  far  as  their  aid 
was  acceptable.  The  Southern  people  could  not 
forget  the  past  with  which  the  Negro  was  so  closely 
associated,  nor  the  dark  days  of  civil  strife  when 
they  were  the  only  protectors  of  hundreds  of  homes. 
They  owed  a  debt  to  the  Negro,  and  soon  after  the 
close  of  hostilities,  the  white  Baptists  of  the  South 
set  about  its  dischargfe. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Convention,  in  1S66, 


3l6     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

after  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves,  a  resolution 
was  passed  to  the  effect  that  in  their  changed  re- 
lations the  Convention  recognized  as  heretofore  its 
solemn  obligation  to  give  religious  instruction  to 
them  by  all  those  means  which  God  has  given  for 
the  salvation  of  men.  So  early  as  1867  a  large 
number  of  missionaries  was  employed  by  the  Home 
Mission  Board  to  labor  among  the  freedmen,  who 
seemed  to  prefer  white  missionaries.  This  prefer- 
ence was  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  they  readily 
recognized  the  competency  of  the  whites  to  instruct 
them,  and  they  equally  recognized  their  need  of 
good,  sound  theological  instruction.  Churches 
were  constituted,  the  Negroes  generally  preferring 
to  withdraw  from  their  white  brethren  who,  not 
only  approved  of  it,  but  aided  them  in  organizing 
separate  bodies  and  in  securing  houses  of  worship. 
The  year  1868  witnessed  six  hundred  and  eleven 
baptisms  among  them  by  the  missionaries  of  the 
Board. 

A  change  came  as  the  sense  of  freedom  and  in- 
dependence took  deeper  hold  upon  the  Negroes 
and  missionary  work  among  them  became  more 
difficult.  They  became  in  a  measure  alienated 
from  the  white  people,  and  former  methods  were 
no  longer  practicable.  They  were  reluctant  to  have 
white  preachers  come  among  them,  and  only  here 
and  there  could  one  have  any  influence.  Mean- 
time other  influences  were  at  work.      Houses  were 


MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES  317 

needed  everywhere  and  the  scanty  means  of  the 
blacks  were  ahiiost  always  inadequate  to  the  task 
of  building  them.  While  the  Negro  was  afraid  of 
the  organizations  of  the  white  people  and  shunned 
them,  he  was  never  afraid  of  his  old  master,  nor 
of  men  whom  he  had  known  from  the  days  of  his 
boyhood.  Thus  it  happens  that  while  there  is 
scarcely  an  instance  on  record  in  which  a  Negro 
church  asked  a  white  church  for  aid  in  building  a 
house  of  worship,  there  is  perhaps  not  a  single  one 
which  has  not  been  built  largely  by  donations  ob- 
tained by  the  Negro  from  his  old  friends.  The 
feeling  of  antagonism  slowly  passed  away  as  the 
Negroes  realized  that  their  white  brethren  were 
sincere  in  their  desire  to  help  them. 

Freedom  awoke  the  slumbering  ambition  in  the 
Negro  race,  and  many  became  eager  for  an  edu- 
cation. As  their  children  learned  to  read  and 
were  gathered  into  Sunday-schools,  they  became 
anxious  to  supi)ly  them  with  libraries  of  useful 
and  entertaining  books,  and  they  began  to  realize 
that  if  they  would  make  steady  progress  they 
must  have  an  educated  ministry.  Some  effort 
had  been  made  by  missionaries  to  afford  instruc- 
tion to  men  studying  for  the  ministry,  and  the 
Board  recognizing  the  need  directed  its  appointees 
to  furnish  every  facility  to  the  Negroes  within 
their  fields  of  labor  to  acquire  sound  religious 
training.      Several  missionaries  devoted  their  en- 


3l8     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

tire  time  to  the  religious  improvement  of  the 
Negro,  and  the  Board  had  in  its  service  one  of 
the  most  faithful  and  successful  of  the  colored 
preachers,  w^ho  did  much  to  elevate  their  condition 
and  to  instruct  them  in  sound  doctrine.^  That 
the  old  prejudice  was  wearing  away  was  illustrated 
by  the  fact  that  colored  churches  here  and  there 
solicited  white  ministers  to  take  charge  of  their 
interests  and  preach  regularly  on  the  Sabbath. 
Official  applications  were  received  from  Negro 
missionary  organizations  in  the  States  for  aid  to 
sustain  the  work  of  evangelization  among  their 
people,  and  the  churches  began  to  call  for  minis- 
terial aid.  The  Home  Board  had  long  desired  to 
take  part  in  furnishing  this  aid,  for  it  recognized 
that  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  Negro  pulpit 
young  men  of  that  race,  whose  piety  and  ability 
commended  them,  must  be  educated  and  trained 
for  the  gospel  ministry.  It  was  enabled  to  perfect 
an  arrangement  with  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society  by  which  young  men  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  Augusta  Institute,  at  Augusta,  Ga., 
with  no  other  expense  than  that  of  the  payment 
of  board.  Two  young  men  were  sent  to  the  in- 
stitute under  this  arrangement, 

1  The  service  is  here  recognized  in  this  work  of  the  American 
Baptist  Publication  Society  by  the  distribution  of  its  literature, 
and  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  by  the  estab- 
lishment of  its  Freedmen's  schools. 


MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES  319 

With  wider  experience  the  Board  reahzed  that 
the  most  speedy,  effectual,  and  far-reaching  method 
of  benefiting  the  Negro  race  would  be  to  hold 
institutes  for  the  instruction  of  preachers  at  con- 
venient times  and  in  accessible  places.  In  this 
work  resident  pastors  could  render  valuable  assist- 
ance. After  due  consideration  this  new  plan  as- 
sumed definite  shape.  The  Board  reported  to  the 
Convention  of  1879  an  agreement  for  co-opera- 
tion with  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society  to  the  extent  that  the  society  should  ap- 
point a  superintendent  of  missions  among  the  col- 
ored people,  whose  duty  would  be  to  organize  in- 
stitutes at  such  times  and  places  as  might  be 
deemed  practicable,  to  be  conducted  by  the  super- 
intendent with  the  assistance  of  those  resident 
ministers  whose  services  could  be  secured  ;  the 
Home  Board  aided  in  making  and  in  carrying  out 
these  appointments,  but  incurred  no  expense. 

The  Board  considered  the  appointment  of  Rev. 
S.  W.  Marston  for  this  work  eminently  wise,  and 
commended  him  to  the  confidence  and  co-opera- 
tion of  his  brethren  of  both  races.  He  began 
his  labors  in  Marion,  Ala.,  by  conducting  a  minis- 
ter's institute,  assisted  by  the  president  and  corre- 
sponding secretary  of  the  Home  Board,  and  other 
ministers  residing  in  the  city.  It  was  attended 
by  a  fair  number  of  ministers  and  deacons,  and 
the  audiences  were  usually  large  and  interested. 


320     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Rev.  W.  H.  Robert,  while  in  the  service  of  the 
Board,  continued  this  work  during  the  following 
year,  1879- 1880,  holding  institutes  in  various 
places  in  Georgia,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and  Lou- 
isiana. 

The  Home  Board  decided  to  concentrate  its 
efforts  on  the  instruction  of  the  colored  ministry, 
and  endeavored  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  the 
State  Boards  and  to  procure  a  competent  man  to 
undertake  the  work  in  each  of  the  States.  In 
1883,  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Board  of 
Georgia,  it  appointed  Rev.  W.  H.  Mcintosh  to 
labor  in  that  State  as  a  theological  instructor. 
He  found  abundant  reason  for  encouragement 
during  the  first  three  months  that  he  was  on  the 
field.  More  than  a  hundred  ministers  and  dea- 
cons attended  his  lectures,  unmistakably  showing 
their  interest  in,  and  appreciation  of,  his  work. 
Rev.  G.  R.  McCall,  who  succeeded  Doctor  Mc- 
intosh, said  that  those  whom  he  taught  received 
oral  instruction  like  hungry  children,  and  were 
grateful,  the  most  anxious  being  the  most  intel- 
ligent. In  Florida,  Rev.  G.  R  Guild,  almost  with- 
out compensation,  devoted  himself  to  this  work, 
for  which  he  was  eminently  fitted  and  in  which 
his  heart  was  deeply  interested. 

Other  names  inseparably  linked  with  this  work 
are  B.  F.  Riley,  and  F.  C.  Plaister,  Alabama  ; 
S.  Ball  and  H.  W.  Brown,   Mississippi ;  and   Syl- 


MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES  32 1 

vanus  Landrum,  Louisiana.  All  of  these  breth- 
ren, except  Doctor  Landrum  and  Doctor  Riley, 
were  employed  as  theological  instructors  in  their 
various  States.  Their  service  was  a  labor  of 
love.  Each  week  Doctor  Landrum  met  a  large 
class  of  colored  preachers  and  others,  instructing 
them  in  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  the  New 
Testament  church.  The  labors  of  Doctor  Riley 
were  similar  to  those  of  Doctor  Landrum,  and 
were  rendered  without  compensation.  The  suc- 
cess of  this  effort  made  apparent  the  wisdom  of 
the  policy,  and  it  was  continued  until  the  plan  of 
co-operation  with  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society  and  the  State  Conventions  was 
inaugurated. 

The  Board  did  not  confine  its  efforts  in  behalf 
of  the  Negro  race  to  ministerial  education,  but  in 
1886  had  in  its  employ  more  than  twenty  colored 
missionaries  in  the  State  of  Texas.  As  part  of 
the  happy  results  of  this  joint  work  of  the  Home 
Board  and  the  State  Board,  of  Texas,  Rev.  A.  J. 
Holt  reported  to  the  Texas  Convention  of  1887 
that  the  colored  Baptists  of  Texas  had  contributed 
to  their  own  State  work  nearly  $8,000  within  fif- 
teen months.  The  Board  also  entered  into  co- 
operation with  the  State  Board  and  the  colored 
Convention  of  Georgia,  and  under  this  arrange- 
ment ten  of  the  best  colored  preachers  in  the 
State  were  employed.     This   number  was  gradu- 


322     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

ally  increased,  until  in  1890  the  Board  assisted  in 
the  support  of  forty-four  colored  missionaries  who 
were  preaching  the  gospel  to  their  own  race.  Two 
of  these  were  in  Maryland,  twelve  in  Georgia, 
and  thirty  in  Texas.  Much  of  the  success  of  the 
work  in  Texas  Doctor  Holt  ascribed  to  one  man, 
and  he  a  former  slave,  Elder  A.  R.  Griggs,  who 
had  the  confidence  and  co-operation  of  the  white 
Baptists  all  over  Texas.  The  Negroes  were  in- 
duced to  appoint  him  superintendent  of  missions, 
and  despite  difficulties  and  embarrassments,  fric- 
tion and  jealousy,  he  built  up  a  phenomenal  work 
among  his  people. 

In  Alabama,  Rev.  W.  H.  McAlpine,  a  man  of 
high  character,  an  able  preacher,  and  good  organ- 
izer, and  one  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  need 
of  his  people,  devised  an  excellent  system  of  in- 
struction for  the  colored  ministry  of  that  State. 
He  divided  the  four  hundred  ministers  and  exhor- 
ters  whom  he  gathered  together,  into  thirty-three 
classes,  and  put  them  under  a  regular  course  of 
instruction.  The  classes  met  every  week  com- 
petent teachers,  numbered  among  whom  were 
some  of  the  best  preachers,  both  white  and  col- 
ored, in  Alabama.  In  Tennessee,  the  Home 
Board  conjointly  with  the  State  Board,  supported 
Rev.  M.  Vann  in  his  work  among  his  own  people. 
Rev.  J.  M.  Brittain  labored  faithfully  and  with 
gratifying  results  in   Georgia.     The  work  of  Mr. 


MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES  323 

Brittain,  in  Georgia,  and  Rev.  W.  H.  McAlpine, 
in  Alabama,  approached  more  nearly  the  ideal  of 
such  work  than  had  ever  before  been  attained. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Convention  in  1894,  a 
resolution  was  passed  to  the  effect  that  a  commit- 
tee be  appointed  to  confer  with  a  committee  from 
the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  with 
reference  to  co-operation  between  the  Home  Board 
and  the  society  in  work  among  the  colored  people 
of  the  South.  A  joint  committee  from  the  two 
bodies  met  at  Fortress  Monroe,  Va.,  September 
12,  1894.  The  meeting  was  characterized  by 
Christian  courtesy  and  unanimity,  and  there  was 
full  and  free  discussion  of  every  question  pre- 
sented. In  its  overture  to  the  Home  Mission  So- 
ciety the  committee  of  the  Southern  Convention 
stated  that  it  desired  to  avoid  discussion  of  past 
issues  or  matters  on  which  it  was  known  that  the 
views  of  brethren  North  and  South  were  widely 
divergent,  and  address  itself  to  the  task  of  secur- 
ing for  the  future  such  co-operation  as  might  be 
found  practicable,  without  attempting  at  once  to 
adjust  all  differences.  The  committee  also  stated 
that  in  making  this  overture  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention  was  not  prompted  by  any  necessity  of 
its  work,  or  that  of  its  Home  Mission  Board,  but 
believing  that  the  time  had  come  when  it  should 
enlarge  its  work  among  the  colored  people  of  the 
South,  it   entertained  the  hope   that  a  proper  co- 


324     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

oijeration  with  the  Home  Mission  Society  in  its 
work  ah-eady  established,  would  contribute  to  the 
efficiency  of  both. 

The  questions  considered  were  the  schools  for 
the  Negroes  controlled  by  the  Home  Mission  So- 
ciety in  the  South,  co-operation  between  the  Home 
Mission  Society  and  the  Home  Mission  Board  in 
mission  work  among  the  Negroes,  and  the  determi- 
nation of  a  boundary  line  between  these  two  great 
bodies.  In  regard  to  the  second  and  most  impor- 
tant question  the  following  resolution  was  adopted  : 

It  is  unanimously  agreed  by  the  joint  committee  to  recom- 
mend to  our  respective  bodies  that  the  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society  and  the  Home  Mission  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  co-operate  in  mission  work 
among  the  colored  people  of  the  South,  in  connection  with 
the  Baptist  State  bodies,  white  and  colored,  in  the  joint 
appointment  of  colored  missionaries,  in  holding  ministers' 
and  deacons'  institutes,  and  in  the  better  organization  of 
the  missionary  work  of  the  colored  Baptists.  The  details 
of  the  plan  are  to  be  left  to  be  agreed  upon  by  the  bodies 
above  named. 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  adopted  by  the 
Convention  of  1895,  and  the  same  year  witnessed 
the  first  efforts  toward  carrying  out  its  provisions. 
As  this  plan  of  work  required  the  joint  action  of 
four  bodies,  the  Home  Mission  Society,  the  Home 
Mission  Board,  the  State  Conventions  both  white 
and  colored,  and  as  these  bodies  met  at  different 


MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES  325 

times,  the  work  of  securing  their  consent  was  a 
slow  one.  The  plan  required  that  each  of  the 
four  contracting  parties  should  share  equally  in 
the  expense  of  the  work  at  first,  but  provided  for 
the  general  increase  of  the  portion  to  be  borne  by 
the  Negro  Conventions,  and  a  corresponding  dimi- 
nution on  the  part  of  the  other  contracting  bodies. 
It  was  agreed,  in  the  States  where  a  large  Negro 
population  was  found,  to  appoint  three  district 
missionaries  and  a  general  superintendent  of  mis- 
sions having  the  oversight  of  the  work  in  the 
whole  State.  These  missionaries  were  to  give 
their  entire  time  to  the  interests  of  the  colored 
churches,  not  only  to  preach  the  gospel  but  to  aid 
pastorless  churches  to  secure  ministers,  to  promote 
schools,  to  aid  young  men  studying  for  the  minis- 
try, to  settle  difficulties  in  the  churches,  and  to  do 
anything  which  would  promote  the  peace,  purity, 
and  efBciency  of  the  colored  churches.  They 
were  expected,  above  all,  to  be  teachers  of  the 
pastors,  and  to  hold  at  convenient  places  in  their 
district,  ministers'  institutes.  A  course  of  study 
covering  three  years  was  adopted,  and  they  were 
expected  to  follow  this,  introducing  such  other 
topics  as  the  needs  of  different  localities  seemed 
to  demand. 

The  first  State  to  adopt  this  plan  was  North 
Carolina,  followed  by  Alabama  and  South  Carolina, 
later  by  Virginia,  and  still  later  by  Missouri,  Ken- 


326     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

tucky,  and  Georgia.  Success  has  attended  the 
efforts  thus  made,  and  the  expressions  from  the 
Negroes  themselves  have  been  most  gratifying. 
A  new  bond  of  sympathy  was  forged  between  the 
two  races.  One  of  the  missionaries  in  writing  to 
the  Home  Board  said  : 

The  colored  Baptists  are  the  spiritual  children  of  the 
white  Baptists,  for  we  are  what  we  are  only  by  reason  of 
their  labors  of  sacrifice  and  love,  and  we  greatly  rejoice 
that  the  children  so  long  left  to  wander  in  darkness  are 
again  to  have  the  ministrations,  if  not  of  the  Master,  yet  of 
the  Master's  children.  Give  us  light,  open  to  us  the  Scrip- 
tures, acquaint  us  with  him  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal, 
and  we  promise  that  naught  but  death  shall  separate  us. 

Among  the  beneficent  results  of  this  work  was  a 
marvelous  growth  in  intellectual  and  religious  life 
among  those  who  could  have  been  reached  in  no 
other  viray,  and  an  inspiration  to  the  pastors  to 
study  their  Bibles  and  pay  more  attention  to 
the  preparation  of  their  sermons  and  to  look 
more  carefully  after  the  spiritual  and  temporal 
welfare  of  their  congregations.  Another  result 
was  seen  in  the  fact  that  the  church  made 
rapid  progress,  increasing  in  influence,  member- 
ship, and  appearance,  and  the  relations  between 
white  and  colored  Baptists  became  more  cordial 
and  helpful. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  duty  of  putting  forth 
some  definite  effort  for  the  training  and  uplifting 


MISSION    WORK    AMONG    THE    NEGROES  32/ 

of  Negro  women  and  children  has  been  presented 
to  the  Baptist  women  of  the  South,  taking  definite 
shape  in  the  maintenance,  during  eight  years  past, 
of  several  mothers'  meetings  and  industrial  schools 
in  the  city  of  Baltimore.  No  missionaries  have 
been  employed,  but  teachers  have  been  secured 
from  the  white  Baptists  of  Baltimore,  assisted  by 
such  colored  women  as  were  found  capable.  The 
slight  expense  of  the  schools  has  been  borne  by 
the  Home  Mission  Board.  The  aim  of  the  schools 
has  been  to  teach  the  Negroes  to  help  themselves, 
and  from  them  many  are  gained  as  regular  attend- 
ants at  Sunday-school.  The  children  are  trained 
to  give,  and  their  offerings  are  devoted  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  children  in  the  colored  orphanage. 
The  remark  of  one  colored  woman,  that  nothing 
so  good  had  come  to  them  since  the  emancipation, 
bears  testimony  to  the  grateful  appreciation  in 
which  the  work  is  held.  It  is  impossible  to  esti- 
mate the  results  of  the  efforts  of  Southern  Bap- 
tists among  the  Negroes.  They  stand  not  in 
tabulated  statistics,  and  only  the  unfoldings  of  eter- 
nity will  reveal  how  far  the  work  has  been  suc- 
cessful. 


XV 

MISSIONS    AMONG    FOREIGN    POPULATIONS 

THE  enforced  return  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Shuck  from 
Shanghai  seemed  to  point  to  a  providential 
opening  for  the  establishment  of  a  mission  among 
the  Chinese  on  the  Pacific  coast,  so  much  in  need 
of  mission  work.  In  the  spring  of  1854  Mr. 
Shuck  went  to  California,  investigated  the  advan- 
tages for  such  work  offered  at  San  Francisco  and 
Sacramento,  and,  deciding  in  favor  of  the  latter 
city,  located  there.  He  was  influenced  in  his  de- 
cision by  the  fact  that  there  was  a  Chinese  mission 
already  in  operation  in  San  Francisco.  There 
were  as  many  respectable  Chinese  in  Sacramento, 
though  the  whole  number  was  not  so  large,  and 
the  growing  prejudice  of  the  Americans  against 
the  Chinese  needed  to  be  met  publicly.  Mr. 
Shuck  was  also  advised  to  locate  in  Sacramento 
by  friends  who  had  an  intimate  knowledge  of  both 
cities.  The  salary  necessary  to  support  him  was 
a  heavy  drain  upon  the  Board,  in  order  to  meet 
which  he  was  allowed  to  supply  the  pulpit  of  the 
Baptist  church  until  it  could  secure  a  pastor  and 
the  Chinese  chapel  could  be  dedicated.  While  in 
328 


MISSIONS    AMONG    FOREIGN    POPULATIONS      329 

Hong  Kong,  working  among  the  Chinese,  Mr. 
Shuck  had  had  charge  of  an  English  church,  and 
felt  that  he  could  better  advance  the  cause  of 
Christ  by  carrying  on  work  in  Sacramento  among 
the  English  and  Chinese  at  the  same  time.  Hav- 
ing no  chapel  in  which  to  hold  services,  Mr. 
Shuck  visited  the  Chinese  in  their  homes  and 
sought  out  groups  of  them  on  Sunday  afternoons. 
His  kindness  to  the  Chinese  passengers  injured 
by  the  explosion  of  the  steamer  "  Pearl "  won  for 
him  their  undying  gratitude.  They  showered 
gifts  upon  him,  and  the  Chinese,  as  a  whole,  were 
more  than  ever  open  to  his  influence.  Within 
three  years  after  the  mission  was  commenced  a 
chapel  had  been  built  and  paid  for,  and  twelve 
Chinese  converts  had  publicly  professed  their 
faith  in  Christ.  One  of  these,  Wong  Moay,  was 
a  man  of  learning,  and  soon  developed  a  high 
order  of  preaching  talent.  Another,  Ah  Chak,  a 
man  of  fair  attainments  and  no  little  business 
ability  and  influence,  promised  to  be  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  little  band  of  converts.  Mr.  Shuck 
still  continued  his  joint  labors  among  the  Ameri- 
cans and  Chinese,  and  services  were  held  for  the 
latter  from  three  to  five  times  a  week,  sixteen  con- 
verts from  among  them  having  been  baptized  prior 
to  i860.  The  power  of  the  gospel  to  transform 
heart  and  life  was  manifest  in  the  constancy  and 
fidelity  of  these  Chinese  Christians. 


330     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Mr.  Shuck  was  assisted  in  his  labors  by  Wong 
Moay  and  Ah  Chak,  who  were  notable  for  piety 
and  ministerial  ability.  Having  decided  to  lo- 
cate permanently  in  California,  they  returned  to 
China  for  their  wives.  During  the  last  year  of 
Mr.  Shuck's  stay  in  California  he  was  employed 
as  a  general  missionary  throughout  the  State. 
On  his  resignation  in  January,  1861,  the  Board 
appointed  Mr.  George  Pearcy,  a  returned  mis- 
sionary from  China,  in  his  place,  the  appointment 
being  made  conditional  upon  the  acquisition  of 
sufficient  means  to  meet  the  expense.  As  this 
was  not  secured,  and  the  troublous  times  of  the 
Civil  War  were  coming  on,  the  mission  was  aban- 
doned. For  some  time  little  was  done  among  the 
Chinese  save  in  a  casual  way  among  those  em- 
ployed on  the  railroads  and  plantations  of  the 
South. 

Nearly  twenty  years  had  elapsed,  when  provi- 
dential circumstances  seemed  to  point  to  the  re- 
opening of  the  abandoned  mission  among  the 
Chinese  in  California.  Mr.  J.  B.  Hartwell,  who 
had  so  ably  demonstrated  his  ability  as  a  mission- 
ary, and  who  had  been  compelled  to  relinquish  for 
the  time  the  hope  of  returning  to  China,  was 
found  to  be  available  for  the  work  in  California. 
The  Board  felt  that  it  could  not  miss  such  an  op- 
portunity, and  in  November,  1879,  Mr.  Hartwell 
and  his  family  arrived  in  San  Francisco.      Mrs, 


MISSIONS    AMONG    FOREIGN    POPULATIONS      33 1 

Hartwell,  whose  health  had  already  been  seriously 
impaired,  contracted  a  severe  cold  on  the  journey, 
which  trouble  terminated  fatally  soon  after  her  ar- 
rival.     Mr.   Hartwell  was  cordially  welcomed  by 
the  American  Baptists  resident  in  California  and 
was  received  with  demonstrations  of  joy  and  grati- 
tude by  the  Chinese  Christians.     He  soon  secured 
a  suitable  place  for  religious  services  and  for  a 
night  school,  where,  though  the  times  were  turbu- 
lent, he  was  unmolested  in  his  work.      Mr.  Hart- 
well was  deeply  interested  in  this  school,  and  felt 
that    with    an    efficient  corps    of  teachers    its  in- 
fluence could  be  greatly  increased.     He  did  not 
expend  his  strength    in  teaching   English  to  the 
Chinese,  but  spent  a  large  part  of  every  evening 
instructing  them  in  the  Bible  in  their  own  tongue. 
On  February  15,    1880,  Mr.   Hartwell  baptized 
his    first    Chinese    convert    in    California.       This 
young  man,    Lo    Ping  Ki,  had  been  indulging  a 
hope  in  Christ  for  some  months  and  his  life   gave 
evidence  of  its  renewing  power.     He  was  received 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
where  most   of  the  Chinese   Baptists  in  the  city 
held  their  membership.      Later  in  the  year  it  was 
deemed  expedient  to  organize  the   Chinese    con- 
verts into  a  church,  and  October  third  the  organ- 
ization   was    effected.       Thus    the    little    Chinese 
Baptist  church  started  upon  its  mission  of  useful- 
ness   among    the    large    and    increasing    Chinese 


332     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

population  of  San  Francisco.  Soon  after,  Mr. 
Hartwell  baptized  a  Chinese  woman,  the  first 
woman  of  that  race  to  be  baptized  in  California, 
and  probably  the  second  in  America. 

Mrs.  J.  L.  Sanford,  of  Mississij^pi,  was,  in  1881, 
appointed  to  assist  Mr.  Hartwell,  her  special  work 
being  among  the  women  and  children.  She  was 
a  valuable  accession  to  the  mission,  and  proved 
herself,  under  trying  circumstances,  earnest,  per- 
severing, and  diligent.  Mr.  Hartwell,  having  mar- 
ried again,  was  also  assisted  by  his  wife  and  Mrs. 
Hunting,  the  salary  of  the  latter  being  provided 
for  by  the  Baptist  State  Convention  of  California. 
The  progress  of  the  work  was  slow,  but  there  was 
growth,  and  Mr.  Hartwell's  heart  was  sometimes 
gladdened  by  the  deep  interest  manifested  by  the 
Chinese.  Amid  difficulties  and  discouragements 
the  missionaries  continued  their  faithful  labors 
until  the  Board  decided,  in  1884,  to  discontinue 
the  work.  There  were  many  reasons  that  seemed 
to  indicate  the  wisdom  of  the  decision.  The 
mission  lay  outside  of  the  territory  peculiarly 
that  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and 
it  was  an  expensive  one.  Moreover,  the  facilities 
the  Board  had  been  able  to  supply  the  mission- 
aries were  so  poor  as  to  furnish  a  discouraging 
contrast  with  other  missions,  and  the  Board  could 
not  command  the  means  to  place  them  on  an  equal- 
ity.   The  mission,  therefore,  was  again  abandoned. 


MISSIONS    AMONG    FOREIGN    POPULATIONS      333 

No  further  work  was  undertaken  for  the  Chi- 
nese by  the  Home  Mission  Board  until  Miss  Lula 
Whilden,  of  the  Canton  Mission,  while  recuperat- 
ing in  America,  worked  for  several  years  among 
the  Chinese  in  Baltimore,  sustained  by  it  and 
the  Maryland  Union  Association  conjointly.  She 
spent  much  time  visiting  laundries,  and  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  Sunday-school  connected  with 
Eutaw  Place  Church.  After  a  time,  Sunday 
evening  services  were  held  with  large  and  increas- 
ing attendance,  and  Doctor  Graves,  of  Canton, 
during  a  visit  to  America,  preached  from  time  to 
time,  the  exercises  being  conducted  partly  in 
Chinese  and  partly  in  English.  Since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Chinese  Sunday-school  in  Baltimore, 
others  have  sprung  up  in  many  Southern  cities  call- 
ing into  activity  the  energies  of  many  consecrated 
workers,  and  through  them  the  Chinese  have 
learned  that  they  have  warm  and  unselfish  friends 
desirous  of  their  spiritual  welfare.  There  is 
promise  in  this,  though  the  positive  results  have 
been  meagre. 

In  the  field  assigned  by  Providence  to  the  Home 
Mission  Board  there  was  a  large  German  popula- 
tion, numbers  of  whom  were  accessible  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  In  some  sections  there 
was  at  first  violent  opposition  to  mission  work,  but 
this  was  soon  overcome  and  some  of  the  strong 
opposers    became    regular    attendants    upon     the 


334     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

services.  The  Board,  deeply  interested  in  the 
spiritual  advancement  of  this  class  of  our  popula- 
tion, encouraged  every  judicious  application  for 
aid,  and  reported  to  the  Convention  of  1859  the 
establishment  of  five  missions  among  the  Ger- 
mans. In  May,  1857,  Rev.  Anthony  Haeusler 
took  charge  of  a  small  church  in  St.  Louis,  where 
the  German  population  numbered  thirty  thousand 
and  was  rapidly  increasing.  The  membership 
under  Mr.  Haeusler's  care  increased  to  fifty-seven. 
A  Sunday-school  was  organized,  and  in  October, 
1858,  he  was  appointed  a  missionary  of  the  Home 
Mission  Board. 

Rev.  John  B.  Madoulet  was  appointed  a  mis- 
sionary among  the  eighteen  thousand  Germans  of 
Louisville,  Ky.,  in  June,  1857.  He  took  charge 
of  a  church  of  eleven  members,  but  under  his 
ministration  the  number  was  soon  more  than 
doubled.  Much  of  his  time  was  spent  visiting 
from  house  to  house.  Thus  opportunities  were 
afforded  to  converse  with  the  people  and  answer 
their  many  and  strange  questions.  Rev.  Peter 
Klein,  a  native  German,  was  appointed  to  labor 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Home  Mission  Board 
and  Baptist  Convention  of  Southern  Missouri  at 
St.  Genevieve  and  other  points,  and  entered  upon 
his  duties  in  January,  1858.  Mr.  Klein's  work 
led  him  among  the  strongholds  of  Romanism. 
At  first  he  met  with  violent  opposition,  but  after 


MISSIONS    AMOiNG    FOREIGN    POPULATIONS      335 

a  time  even  Roman  Catholics  attended  upon  liis 
ministry  and  some  were  led  to  accept  a  pure  gos- 
pel. 

Rev.  William  Fasching  was  employed  among 
the  large  German  population  of  New  Orleans. 
Here  the  German  church  owned  a  neat  and  com- 
fortable house  of  worship  and  contributed  gener- 
ously of  its  means,  the  members  voluntarily  tax- 
ing themselves  ten  per  cent,  on  their  gross  income 
for  church  expenses.  There  was  also  a  mission 
among  the  Germans  in  Baltimore,  in  charge  of 
Rev.  John  Meiire.  The  missionaries  met  with  en- 
couraging success,  but  the  disasters  of  the  Civil 
War  overtook  this  work  while  it  was  still  in  its 
infancy,  and  the  Home  Board  was  unable  to  pros- 
ecute it.  For  several  years  after  the  close  of  the 
war  its  missionary  efforts  among  the  Germans 
were  confined  to  the  city  of  Baltimore  ;  but  in 
1870  Mr.  Haeusler  was  again  appointed  to  his  work 
in  Missouri,  and  from  time  to  time  the  work  was 
extended  to  other  cities  and  towns  of  Missouri, 
Kentucky,  and  Texas. 

The  Board  conducted  its  operations  among  the 
hundred  thousand  Germans  of  Texas  in  connec- 
tion with  the  State  Board.  Rev.  F.  Kieffer,  one 
of  the  ablest  German  preachers  in  America,  was 
in  its  employ,  and  his  labors  were  greatly  blessed. 
Rev.  J.  M.  Hoefflin  had  charge  of  a  mission  in 
the  interior  of  Missouri,  where  the  German  popu- 


336     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

lation  is  very  large  and  where  a  number  of  small 
but  efficient  churches  was  organized.  In  Kansas 
City  Mr.  Sievers  was  employed  as  missionary  pas- 
tor of  a  small  church.  At  the  earnest  solicitation 
of  the  State  Mission  Board,  of  Kentucky,  the 
Home  Board  also  took  charge  of  a  mission  among 
the  Germans  in  the  city  of  Louisville. 

In  1890  the  City  Mission  Board,  of  St.  Louis, 
and  the  Home  Mission  Board  called  Rev.  Andrew 
Konzelmann  to  plant  a  mission  in  South  St.  Louis. 
There  was  no  flattering  prospect  of  success,  but 
the  Lord  honored  his  faithful  service,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  first  year  he  rejoiced  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  church  of  fourteen  members.  The 
second  year  was  blessed  with  yet  greater  pros- 
perity. By  baptism,  letter,  and  restoration  the 
church  increased  over  two  hundred  per  cent. 
The  German  Baptist  Association,  of  Missouri,  at 
its  meeting  in  1891,  sent  a  letter  to  the  Home 
Mission  Board,  expressing  hearty  thanks  for  the 
very  liberal  aid  given  to  carry  on  the  work  among 
the  Germans  in  the  State  of  Missouri.  On  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1894,  the  First  German  Baptist  Church, 
at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  was  organized.  Thirteen 
brouerht  letters  of  dismission  from  their  former 
church  homes  and  constituted  the  new  organiza- 
tion. Rev.  Otto  Beckelman  was  the  energetic 
missionary  at  this  point. 

Church  edifices  have  been  erected  in  St.  Louis 


MISSIONS    AMONG    FOREIGN    POPULATIONS      33/ 

and  Louisville,  and  in  Kansas  City  a  lot  admir- 
ably located  has  been  purchased,  and  Mr.  Sievers 
has  made  heroic  efforts  to  erect  a  church.  His 
efforts  at  this  writing  are  being  crowned  with  suc- 
cess. A  steady  exodus  is  going  forward  from  the 
German  to  the  English-speaking  churches.  Thus 
the  German  churches  are  deprived  of  some  of  their 
best  members,  and  usually  the  younger  members, 
who  serve  as  feeders  to  the  English  churches.  The 
time  may  come  when  they  will  be  no  longer  needed, 
but  that  will  only  be  when  immigration  has  ceased 
and  the  older  generation  of  German-speaking 
people  shall  have  passed  away. 

Some  years  ago  a  mission  was  opened  among 
the  Germans  of  Oklahoma,  under  the  care  of  Rev. 
E.  Graalman,  an  earnest  and  devoted  man,  whose 
work  was  attended  with  no  little  success.  In 
1892  Mrs.  William  Rinzman,  wife  of  the  pastor 
of  the  German  church  in  Baltimore,  opened  the 
first  industrial  school  among  the  Germans  of  that 
city.  This  effort  enlisted  the  sympathy  and  co- 
operation of  the  Baptist  women  in  the  English- 
speaking  churches,  and  has  grown  until  there  are 
now  three  schools  with  twenty  teachers  and  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  pupils.  These  schools 
have  proved  a  valuable  aid  to  the  work,  not  only 
in  gathering  children  into  the  Sunday-schools,  but 
in  winning  the  confidence  and  interest  of  the  par- 
ents. 

w 


338     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

Mission  work  among  the  Germans  has  never 
made  rapid  progress.  They  are  a  somewhat  phleg- 
matic people,  slow  to  relinquish  their  former  habits 
of  thought  and  their  beliefs;  but  when  they  accept 
Baptist  ideas  they  are  steadfast  in  their  adherence 
and  clear  and  strong  in  their  convictions,  which 
they  maintain  with  unflinching  devotion.  Liber- 
ality is  a  marked  characteristic  of  their  Christian- 
ity, and  it  is  said  that  a  few  of  them  gathered  into 
a  church  will  build  a  house  of  worship  and  support 
a  pastor  comfortably,  where  many  of  our  Ameri- 
can Baptist  churches  would  allow  him  to  starve. 
An  old  German  widow  over  seventy  years  of  age 
made  a  will  leaving  all  her  property  to  the  Home 
Mission  Board  to  be  used  in  extending  the  cause 
of  German  missions  in  Missouri.  The  pastor  of 
the  German  church  at  Covington,  Ky.,  said  that 
servant  girls,  members  of  his  church,  whose  wages 
were  but  six  dollars  a  month,  paid  for  his  support 
twelve  dollars  annually,  and  gave  two  dollars  a 
year  to  missions. 

A  work  of  far-reaching  influence  was  that  begun 
in  1893,  at  the  immigrant  pier  in  Baltimore.  Miss 
Marie  Buhlmaier  was  appointed  to  meet  incoming 
vessels  and  render  any  assistance  in  her  power  to 
strangers  seeking  a  home  on  our  shores.  A  woman 
of  ready  .sympathy,  winsome  manner,  and  heaven- 
born  tact,  she  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  this  work. 
She    understands    the   heartache,  the  worry,  the 


MISSIONS    AMONG    FOREIGN    POPULATIONS      339 

danger  through  which  these  strangers  are  passing, 
as  well  as  the  inconvenience  to  which  they  are 
subjected.  As  she  meets  them  with  sympathy 
and  encouragement,  they  listen  gladly  when  she 
speaks  to  them  words  of  comfort  and  life. 

She  has  distributed  thousands  of  Bibles  and 
tracts,  and  when  she  cannot  speak  with  the  for- 
eigners in  their  own  tongue,  delivers  her  message 
through  the  printed  page.  A  map  of  the  United 
States  is  given  to  each  one,  and  on  the  reverse 
side  is  printed  a  list  of  all  the  towns  containing 
German  Baptist  pastors.  These,  they  are  told, 
will  respond  to  any  appeal  for  aid. 

During  Dr.  Eager's  stay  in  Baltimore,  after  his 
return  from  Italy,  the  wisdom  of  opening  a  mission 
among  the  Italians  in  that  city  was  suggested  to 
the  Home  Board.  The  services  of  Rev.  Rafael 
Galassi  were  secured,  and  in  1897  a  Sunday-school 
was  organized,  and  preaching  services  are  held 
every  Sabbath.  The  Home  Board  also  has  mis- 
sionaries among  the  Mexicans  in  Texas  and  New 
Mexico,  where  Dr.  Alexander  Marchand  has  la- 
bored for  a  number  of  years,  and  among  the 
French  in  Missouri  and  Louisiana.  No  other  mis- 
sionary enterprise  appeals  so  strongly  to  the  patri- 
otism of  every  American  as  does  that  among  the 
foreign  population,  for  the  future  of  the  republic 
depends  upon  the  Christian  citizenship  of  its 
people. 


XVI 

THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS 

MISSION  work  among  the  Indians  was  no 
new  thing  to  Soutliern  Baptists  when  the 
Convention  was  organized  in  1845.  It  had  been 
carried  on  mainly  by  the  Indian  Mission  Associa- 
tion located  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  which  was  largely 
supported  by  the  Baptists  of  the  South.  At  the 
first  session  of  the  Convention  a  resolution  was  in- 
troduced recommending  the  churches  to  sustain 
this  Association  with  zeal  and  liberality.  The 
Convention  which  met  in  Montgomery,  Ala.,  in 
1855,  received  a  proposition  of  union  from  the 
Association,  and  to  transfer  its  mission  work  to 
the  Home  Mission  Board  of  the  Convention.  The 
proposition  was  accepted,  and  the  Home  Mission 
Board  took  the  work  under  its  fostering  care.  At 
this  time  its  missionaries  were  stationed  among 
the  Indians,  who  then  inhabited  the  territory  now 
covered  by  the  States  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 
Schools  were  established  among  these  tribes, 
churches  were  organized,  and  much  good  was 
accomplished.  But  the  tide  of  white  immigration, 
sweeping  westward,  overwhelmed  this  people  of 
340 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  34I 

many  wrongs,  and  of  the  work  done  among  them 
there  remains  but  the  name  and  memory. 

The  proposition  of  the  Indian  Mission  Associa- 
tion had  been  accepted  with  the  understanding 
that  the  assets  on  hand  would  fully  liquidate  the 
liabilities  of  the  Association.  After  the  transfer 
was  effected  it  was  found  that  the  debts  of  the 
Association  were  twofold  greater  than  its  ability 
to  pay.  When  it  became  known  that  the  Home 
Mission  Board  had  become  responsible  for  all  just 
claims  against  the  Association,  accounts  were  pre- 
sented that  increased  to  over  $15,000  the  unpaid 
indebtedness.  Thus  a  deficit  of  $9,000  was  left 
to  be  provided  for.  Of  this  sum,  $2,000  was  real- 
ized from  accounts  against  the  government  and 
from  other  sources,  and  within  nine  months  the 
whole  of  the  remainder  was  secured.  Rarely  has 
more  prompt,  hearty,  or  successful  effort  been  put 
forth  to  meet  an  emergency.  Southern  Baptists 
felt  that  the  honor  of  the  denomination  demanded 
energetic  and  liberal  measures,  and  nobly  they  re- 
sponded to  the  call. 

The  Home  Mission  Board  has  confined  its 
labors  in  large  measure  to  the  Indians  within  the 
limits  of  the  Indian  Territory,  the  Cherokees, 
Creeks,  Choctaws,  Chicasaws,  and  Seminoles ;  to 
some  extent,  however,  the  wild  tribes  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  Territory,  have  shared  in  its  min- 
istry.    The  Board  reported  to  the  Convention  of 


342     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

1857,  twenty-six  missionaries,  white  and  native,  in 
its  employ.  It  was  difficult  to  obtain  statistics, 
as  in  many  cases  the  native  preachers  could  not 
speak  or  write  English,  and  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  they  could  report  satisfactorily  their  own  la- 
bors. But  most  of  the  missions  were  in  a  flourish- 
ing condition,  and  three  hundred  and  twenty-four 
baptisms  were  reported. 

Rev.  J.  A.  Slover  commenced  his  work  among 
the  Cherokees  early  in  1857.  He  met  with  much 
opposition,  and  labored  the  first  year  under  great 
disadvantages.  There  were  no  tangible  results, 
and  his  faith  was  sorely  tried.  The  year  1858, 
however,  opened  with  more  cheering  prospects, 
and  two  candidates  were  received  for  baptism, 
while  before  the  year  closed,  two  churches  had 
been  constituted,  with  an  aggregate  membership 
of  twenty-eight. 

For  years  there  was  no  white  missionary  among 
the  Choctaws.  Six  native  preachers  among  them, 
active,  pious,  and  useful  men,  deplored  this  fact, 
and  often  entreated  its  removal.  At  last  a  stirring 
appeal  was  sent  to  the  Home  Board  and  met  with 
a  favorable  response.  It  said  in  quaint  language, 
"  We  are  praying  you,  like  unto  Macedonia  to 
Paul,  '  Come  over  and  help  us.'  "  They  begged  for 
missionaries  to  live  among  them,  as  their  church- 
members  were  becoming  discouraged  because  of 
the  error  flowing  in  on  every  side.     They  pleaded 


THE    IxNDIAN    MISSIONS  343 

for  translations  of  the  New  Testament  and  other 
books,  saying  they  were  too  much  beholden  to 
Pedobaptists,  who  translated  the  Bible  and  hymn 
books  according  to  their  peculiar  views  of  Chris- 
tian baptism.  Rev.  Willis  Burns,  and  Rev.  R.  J. 
Hogue  were  appointed  for  this  work.  The  results 
of  their  efforts  were  such  as  to  produce  great  en- 
couragement. In  September,  i860,  an  Associa- 
tion of  Choctaw  Baptist  churches  was  organized, 
and  there  seemed  to  be  a  growing  desire  that  the 
work  should  increase. 

The  name  of  H.  F.  Buckner  is  indissolubly 
linked  with  the  Creek  mission  not  only  in  its  be- 
ginnings but  through  many  years  of  its  history. 
Perhaps  his  greatest  achievement  was  his  transla- 
tions into  the  Creek  language.  When  it  was  de- 
cided by  competent  judges  that  the  translations  of 
the  New  Testament  into  the  Indian  languages 
were  not  only  defective  in  literary  merit  but  in  fi- 
delity to  the  Scriptures  as  well,  it  was  deemed  al- 
most imperative  that  correct  ones  should  be  made. 
Mr.  Buckner  was  appointed  to  do  this  work  for  the 
Creeks.  He  found  the  Creek  language,  so  far  as 
it  was  reduced  to  writing,  very  imperfect,  and  sug- 
gested very  important  changes  in  the  alphabet,  the 
grammar,  and  vocabulary.  When  the  Convention 
met  in  1861,  Mr.  Buckner,  assisted  by  his  interpre- 
ter, had  completed  the  translation  of  the  Gospel 
of  John,  together  with  a  hymn  book,  a  grammar. 


344     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

and  an  illustrated  alphabet.  A  number  of  copies 
of  each  had  been  published  and  by  the  prompt  aid 
rendered  to  the  Board  every  copy  was  paid  for. 

Closely  connected  with  the  question  of  giving 
the  Indians  a  correct  translation  of  the  Bible  was 
that  of  the  desirability  of  the  missionaries'  acquir- 
ing the  language  of  the  tribes  to  which  they  min- 
istered. After  careful  investigation  it  was  decided 
that  some  of  them  should  master  the  Indian  lan- 
guages, since  there  were  many  places  where  noth- 
ing else  was  spoken.  Even  then  it  was  possible 
to  carry  on  work  through  an  interpreter,  but  it 
was  difficult  to  secure  enough  competent  inter- 
preters, and  to  have  them  at  hand  when  wanted. 
To  be  able  to  speak  to  the  people  at  any  and  all 
times  in  their  own  tongue  was  therefore  a  great 
advantage.  In  many  places  where  the  congrega- 
tions were  so  mixed  that  services  confined  to  either 
English  or  Indian  would  be  unintelligible  to  man}^ 
it  was  better  to  use  an  interpreter  as  less  diffi- 
cult and  promising  fully  as  great  success. 

A  movement  was  made  among  the  Cherokees 
and  Choctaws  to  sustain  missionaries  among  them 
at  their  own  expense,  and  enough  was  secured  to 
pay  the  salaries  of  two  men  under  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Board.  According  to  their  knowl- 
edge and  circumstances  the  Indians  were  not 
behind  their  white  brethren  in  the  exercise  of  the 
Christian  graces.     The  list  of  native  preachers  in 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  345 

the  Indian  Territory  contains  some  notable  names. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  John  Mcintosh, 
Wm.  McCombs,  and  Chillie  Mcintosh.  The  last 
named  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and  influence, 
and  did  much  for  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
among  his  people.  Lewis  Cass,  Simon  Hancock, 
and  Peter  Folsom  did  faithful  work  in  the  evangel- 
ization of  their  own  people,  the  Choctaws. 

John  Jumper  stands  pre-eminent  among  the 
Seminoles.  He  was  chief  of  his  tribe  for  many 
years  and  when  the  infirmities  of  age  had  come 
upon  him  he  would  have  laid  down  the  burden  of 
office,  but  his  people,  who  loved  him  as  children 
love  a  father,  wanted  no  other  to  take  his  place. 
Those  who  saw  him  when  he  last  visited  the  Con- 
vention at  its  meeting  in  Dallas,  Texas,  can  well 
understand  the  love  his  people  bore  him.  The 
powerful  frame,  the  face  whereon  a  noble  nature 
reflected  itself  in  an  expression  of  strength  and 
gentleness,  and  the  head  with  its  crown  of  snowy 
hair,  made  an  impression  that  lingered  in  the 
memory  and  bore  witness  to  the  forceful  character 
of  the  man.  His  remarkable  appearance,  his 
great  intellect,  and  warm  heart,  left  an  impress 
upon  his  people  as  lasting  as  their  nationality. 

No  more  remarkable  character  than  that  of 
Joseph  Islands,  "apostle  of  the  Creeks,"  influ- 
enced the  early  history  of  Indian  missions.  His 
boyhood  was  spent  in  Alabama,  and  there  the  first 


34^     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Christian  influence  was  exercised  over  his  Hfe. 
Grown  to  manhood  he  was  a  leader  in  wild  revelry, 
and  his  knowledge  of  the  violin  made  him  indis- 
pensable at  all  the  gatherings  of  his  young  associ- 
ates. One  night  in  a  drunken  brawl  his  best 
friend  was  killed.  The  next  day  in  his  sorrow  and 
loneliness  he  sought  the  spot  where  his  friend  was 
to  be  laid.  Old  Billy,  a  Christian  Negro,  who  had 
been  set  to  dig  the  grave,  seeing  his  distress  began 
to  talk  with  him  of  death,  of  the  great  beyond, 
and  of  Jesus  and  the  resurrection.  The  arrows 
of  conviction  sank  deep  in  his  soul,  and  in  old 
Billy's  cabin  he  learned  more  and  more  of  the 
way  of  life  until  light  dawned  upon  his  darkness. 
At  this  time  there  was  a  most  stringent  law 
against  the  introduction  of  Christianity  among  the 
Indians,  and  to  any  one  found  engaged  in  Chris- 
tian worship  thirty-nine  lashes  were  to  be  admin- 
istered by  the  police.  Islands  and  Billy  com- 
muned together  in  secret  for  many  days,  but  they 
could  not  long  resist  the  desire  to  give  others  the 
good  tidings.  They  talked  to  their  friends  and 
soon  gathered  a  little  company,  who  met  at  a  secret 
spot  for  religious  worship.  As  one  after  another 
accepted  Christ  his  name  was  placed  upon  the  roll 
of  disciples  until  they  numbered  thirty.  Mean- 
while the  authorities  awoke  to  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  the  mounted  police  were  urged  to 
greater  vigilance  in  the  execution  of  the  law.     The 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  347 

Christian  Indians  were  as  cunning  as  their  perse- 
cutors and  in  secluded  places  continued  their  meet- 
ings. A  spy  who  lay  in  the  woods  one  night  near 
their  place  of  worship  heard  Islands  praying  for 
his  people,  his  persecutors,  the  police,  and  the  spies 
who  were  watching,  calling  the  man  by  name  and 
asking  the  great  Spirit  to  defeat  his  evil  purposes 
and  change  his  heart.  A  sense  of  guilt  such  as 
he  had  never  known  took  possession  of  the  spy. 
As  the  service  continued  he  heard  of  Christ's  love 
for  sinful  men  and  was  lost  in  wonder.  How  long 
he  lay  there  in  an  agony  of  fear  and  penitence  he 
never  knew,  but  when  the  disciples  met  again  he 
stood  in  their  midst  and  told  how  the  great  Spirit 
had  protected  them  and  convicted  him.  Before 
the  meeting  closed  he  found  his  Lord,  and  with 
great  joy  saw  his  name  enrolled  among  those  of 
the  disciples. 

The  Christians  were  not  always  so  fortunate. 
One  night  the  light  horse  surrounded  their  place 
of  worship,  every  avenue  of  escape  was  cut  off, 
and  they  were  led  forth,  one  by  one,  to  receive  the 
penalty  of  the  law.  With  serenity,  patience,  and 
submission,  they  accepted  their  punishment,  but 
as  the  executioners  laid  on  the  cruel  thong  they 
stopped  short,  unable  to  withstand  the  influence 
of  the  radiant  faces  before  them.  The  captain 
tried  to  shame  them  for  what  he  considered  cow- 
ardly weakness,  but  when  the   women  stood  un- 


348     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

flinchingly  before  the  fearful  ordeal  he  too  was 
overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  awe.  Feebly  they 
finished  their  task.  The  next  day  the  captain  and 
several  of  his  men  surrendered  their  positions,  say- 
ing they  could  not  whip  these  people  for  praying 
to  and  loving  Jesus.  Others  more  savage  and  de- 
termined were  sought  to  fill  their  places,  but  their 
hands  were  paralyzed  by  the  meek  submission  of 
their  victims,  and  they  too  came  to  the  chief, 
saying,  "  God's  Spirit  claims  these  people ;  we 
must  let  them  alone." 

Efforts  to  suppress  the  new  religion  became 
more  and  more  feeble.  Members  of  prominent 
families  became  Christians,  and  Chillie  Mcintosh, 
one  of  the  most  wealthy,  powerful,  and  popular 
chiefs,  was  converted.  When  the  excitement  was 
at  its  height  the  national  council  met  and  re- 
pealed the  law  against  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity among  the  Indians.  Joseph  Islands  had 
just  moved  into  a  new  house  when  the  law  was 
repealed,  but  he  moved  back  into  his  old  one  and 
gave  the  new  one  for  a  house  of  worship.  This 
was  the  first  house  of  worship  in  the  Creek  nation. 

The  Civil  War  brought  ruin  and  desolation  to 
the  Indian  as  to  his  white  neighbor.  A  larger 
proportion  of  the  population  of  their  territory  was 
under  arms  than  that  of  any  State  North  or  South. 
Both  armies  made  their  country  a  highway.  Their 
civilization  was    broken  down,   their    schools  dis- 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  349 

banded,  their  churches  scattered,  and  their  coun- 
try ravaged.  When  the  end  came  the  Indians 
accepted  the  new  order  without  complaint.  They 
freed  their  slaves,  divided  their  heritage  with  them, 
and  gave  them  the  same  educational  privileges  as 
their  own.  New  governments  were  organized, 
schools  reopened,  and  dilapidated  church  buildings 
were  repaired,  and  in  time  the  missionaries  re- 
turned to  aid  them. 

The  Board  was  able  to  resume  only  a  small  part 
of  its  work  in  the  Territory  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  Funds  were  scarce  and  there  were  many 
pressing  demands  upon  the  treasury.  Only  two 
white  and  two  native  missionaries  were  in  its  em- 
ploy irv  1867,  all  at  work  among  the  Choctaws. 
The  results,  however,  were  encouraging,  and  they 
baptized  thirty  during  the  year.  There  were  many 
faithful  and  efficient  men  eager  to  take  up  the 
work,  and  the  Creeks  and  the  Cherokees  implored 
the  aid  of  the  Board  to  resume  missionary  opera- 
tions. The  Board  responded  to  these  appeals 
from  the  Territory  as  rapidly  as  the  gifts  of  the 
churches  would  allow.  In  1870  Rev.  E.  L.  Com- 
pere, who  was  employed  in  Arkansas,  was  in- 
structed to  extend  his  field  into  the  Territory  and 
render  all  possible  assistance  to  missions  among 
the  Indians,  especially  among  the  Choctaw  and 
Cherokee  nations.  The  same  year  Rev.  H.  F. 
Buckner  returned  to  his  work  among  the  Creeks. 


350     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

The  Friendship  Association  of  Georgia  decided 
to  adopt  Mr.  Buckner  as  its  missionary  and  thus 
relieve  the  Board  of  his  support.  He  agreed  to 
this  on  condition  that  he  should  work  in  harmony 
with  the  Board  and  send  to  it  duplicate  reports  of 
his  labors.  Rev.  J.  S.  Murrovv  also  returned  to 
work  among  the  Choctaws  as  the  missionary  of 
the  Rehoboth  Association  of  Georgia,  which  had 
sustained  him  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  the 
war.  In  a  letter  dated  Atoka,  March,  1870,  Mr. 
Murrow  says  the  little  Rehoboth  Church,  less  than 
a  year  old  and  consisting  of  only  twenty-one  mem- 
bers, decided,  at  his  suggestion,  to  adopt  a  native 
brother  as  their  missionary  and  to  pledge  him 
^100  a  year.  The  Coosa  Association  of  Georgia 
adopted  a  native  as  its  missionary.  Rev.  R.  J. 
Hogue  was  at  this  time  sustained  by  the  Bethel 
Association,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1872,  Rev.  J. 
A.  Preston  returned  to  the  scene  of  his  former 
efforts,  sustained  by  the  Georgia  Association. 
Thus  Georgia  Baptists  at  this  time  bore  nearly 
all  the  expense  of  the  Indian  Mission. 

Comfortable  homes  for  the  missionaries  in  the 
Territory  became  an  urgent  necessity,  and  several 
of  these  were  soon  supplied.  Profound  sympathy 
was  enlisted  for  Doctor  Buckner,  who,  with  his 
family,  was  living  in  a  log  cabin,  twelve  feet  square, 
his  kitchen  a  more  uncomfortable  cabin.  The  ac- 
count of  his  privations  and  hardships  was  brought 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  35  I 

to  the  East  by  Rev.  S.  L.  Helm,  for  many  years 
secretary  of  the  Indian  Mission  Association,  who 
had  been  requested  by  the  Board  to  visit  the  mis- 
sion and  report  its  condition.  This  report  was 
most  favorable.  No  trial  or  privation  could 
quench  Buckner's  zeal  or  relax  his  efforts ;  but 
Mr.  Helm  was  deeply  touched  by  the  destitution 
in  his  home.  Mr.  Helm  determined  that  this 
heroic  family  should  have  a  comfortable  home, 
and  so  earnest  were  his  efforts  that  it  was  soon 
secured.  The  Indians  appreciated  this  house  as 
an  expression  of  confidence  in  their  apostle,  and 
regarded  it  as  a  compliment  to  them. 

In  response  to  an  urgent  appeal  from  the  wild 
tribes  to  open  Christian  work  among  them,  the 
Board  appointed  Rev.  A.  J.  Holt,  who  had  been 
teaching  among  the  Seminoles.  Mr.  Holt  located 
at  the  Wichita  Agency  and  entered  upon  his  duties 
with  zeal,  energy,  and  devotion.  He  was  at  first 
received  favorably  by  the  Indians  and  his  most 
serious  obstacle  was  the  opposition  of  some  of  the 
whites  connected  with  the  agency,  who  were  un- 
willing to  have  a  Baptist  mission  established,  and 
who  succeeded,  by  misrepresentation  to  the  gov- 
ernment, in  having  him  expelled  from  the  agency. 
An  explanation  was  demanded  and,  on  investiga- 
tion, the  Indian  Department  fully  vindicated  the 
missionary  from  the  charges  made  against  him. 

Mr.  Holt  endeavored  to  continue  his  work,  but 


352     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

the  prejudices  of  the  Indians  had  been  aroused — a 
prejudice  not  so  much  against  the  gospel  as  against 
the  white  people.  After  patient  investigation  of 
the  affairs  of  the  mission,  a  change  of  policy  was 
deemed  advisable.  Mr,  Holt  was  recalled  and  a 
native  preacher  was  put  in  his  place.  John  Mcin- 
tosh, who  was  the  first  to  carry  the  gospel  to  these 
wild  tribes,  was  chosen  for  this  field.  Prompted  by 
an  ardent  desire  for  the  salvation  of  his  race,  with- 
out salary  or  the  usual  means  of  support,  he  had 
gone  to  the  wild  tribes  and,  as  a  result  of  his  ef- 
forts, baptized  fourteen  of  their  number. 

The  desire  of  the  Creek  nation  for  a  manual 
labor  school  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
Convention  of  1877.  The  council  had  made  an 
appropriation  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  for  the  school  and  proposed  to  make  an  an- 
nual appropriation  of  $6,000  for  the  education  of 
fifty  boys  and  fifty  girls,  the  former  to  be  instruc- 
ted in  farming  and  the  mechanic  arts  and  the  lat- 
ter in  domestic  economy.  The  Board  of  the 
Muskokee  Baptist  Association,  with  which  the 
council  of  the  Creek  nation  had  entered  into  an 
agreement,  decided  to  transfer  all  rights  to  the 
Home  Mission  Board,  with  certain  provisos.  The 
Board  asked  the  consent  of  the  Convention  to  use 
the  legacy  of  Mr.  Eugene  Levering  in  order  to 
make  this  opportunity  available,  with  the  proviso 
that    a    sum   suf^cient,   with   the   amount   of    the 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  353 

legacy,  to  complete  the  buildings  and  prepare  the 
farm  should  be  secured  before  the  work  was  begun, 
that  there  might  be  no  debt  of  any  kind  upon  the 
property. 

Insufficient  means  prevented  the  immediate 
prosecution  of  the  plan,  but  in  1879  sufficient 
funds  were  in  sight  to  justify  entering  upon  the 
work.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  the  corre- 
sponding secretary  visited  the  Creek  nation  during 
the  session  of  their  national  council  to  hold  con- . 
ference  with  reference  to  establishing  the  school. 
A  kindly  welcome  was  accorded  him  and  his 
friends.  Though  differing  on  matters  of  religion 
and  politics  the  council  was  agreed  on  the  question 
of  education,  and  when  the  plan  which  had  been  de- 
vised by  the  committees  appointed  by  the  two 
houses  of  council  and  the  secretary  of  the  Board 
was  reported  to  the  respective  houses,  it  was 
adopted  without  a  dissenting  vote. 

The  year  following  the  secretary  again  visited 
the  Creek  nation  and  gave  out  the  contract  for  the 
erection  of  buildings  suitable  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  a  hundred  pupils.  A  location  was  selected 
with  due  regard  to  health  and  good  water  and  land 
was  chosen  with  a  regard  to  its  fertility,  timber,  and 
pasturage.  On  September  5,  1881,  the  Levering 
Mission  Manual  Labor  School  was  opened  with  a 
hundred  pupils.  The  buildings  were  completely 
furnished  and  paid  for.      Rev.  J.  A.  Trenchard,  a 

X 


354     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

graduate  of  the  University  of  Georgia,  and  a 
teacher  of  large  experience  was  elected  superin- 
tendent. An  encouraging  prospect  lay  before 
him,  new  pupils  were  enrolled,  and  the  students 
made  good  progress.  A  religious  interest  was 
awakened  among  the  pupils,  fifteen  were  bap- 
tized, and  a  number  of  others  were  deeply  inter- 
ested. Religious  instruction  was  given  with  the 
same  regularity  as  other  lessons  and  on  Sunday 
.the  International  Lessons  were  taught  with  aston- 
ishing success.  Valuable  assistance  was  rendered 
by  the  ladies  of  Lexington  and  Louisville,  Ky., 
and  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  furnishing  boxes  of  cloth- 
ing for  the  pupils. 

The  work  continued  with  encouraging  success, 
save  for  a  brief  period  of  disturbance  in  the  Creek 
nation,  and  Mr.  Trenchard's  report  to  the  council 
in  October,  1882,  was  so  gratifying  that  they  im- 
mediately passed  a  bill  donating  $500  to  supply 
the  school  with  apparatus  and  to  paint  the  build- 
ings. The  resignation  of  Mr.  Trenchard  after  his 
wife's  death,  necessitated  a  change  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  school.  Major  I.  G.  Vore,  a  man  of 
long  residence  in  the  Territory,  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  Indian  character,  manners,  and  cus- 
toms, devoted  to  their  welfare  and  having  their 
full  confidence,  was  elected  to  succeed  him. 

The  year  1884-1885  was  full  of  encouragement. 
There  were  many  baptisms  and  restorations  to  the 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  355 

churches ;  the  Levering  school  was  full  to  over- 
flowing, and  the  efforts  of  the  Board  to  arouse  the 
missionary  spirit  among  the  people  began  to  meet 
with  success.  Two  Associations,  that  of  the 
Creeks  and  that  of  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws, 
united  to  support  a  missionary  among  the  wild 
tribes,  while  the  Creeks  appointed  a  missionary  in 
their  own  bounds.  From  this  time  forward  the 
Board  endeavored  to  throw  more  of  the  responsi- 
bility for  the  support  of  the  native  ministry  on  the 
churches,  and  advocated  the  white  missionaries 
turning  their  thoughts  to  the  instruction  of  the 
native  preachers  and  aiding  them  in  developing  the 
piety  and  activity  of  the  churches.  The  duty  of 
evangelization  had  been  largely  met ;  the  demand 
of  the  hour  was  for  development  in  the  practical 
duties  of  Christian  living.  Among  the  five  civil- 
ized tribes  there  was  an  average  of  one  Baptist 
church  for  every  thousand  Indians,  but  little  effort 
had  been  made  toward  training  them.  This  lack 
of  training  was  the  fatal  blunder  of  early  mission 
work  among  the  Indians.  It  will  be  a  fatal 
blunder  wherever  it  exists,  whether  in  the  home  or 
foreign  field.  The  efforts  of  the  Board  to  remedy 
this  lack  soon  brought  about  a  better  condition. 

The  Choctaws,  under  Mr.  Murrow's  guidance, 
set  themselves  diligently  to  the  endeavor  to  estab- 
lish a  Baptist  school  where  young  men  studying 
for  the  ministry,  as  well  as  others,  might  be  taught. 


356     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

They  also  contributed  liberally  toward  a  commodi- 
ous and  well-arranged  church  house  in  Atoka. 
Mr.  Murrow  made  a  visit  to  the  mission  among 
the  wild  tribes  at  Anadarko  and  found  the  work 
very  interesting.  After  his  visit  several  members 
of  the  Wichita  church  went  out  among  the  other 
wild  tribes  that  had  no  gospel  privileges,  thus 
themselves  becoming  missionaries.  A  few  years 
later,  in  1883,  there  was  among  the  wild  tribes  in 
the  western  part  of  the  Territory  a  little  band  of 
sixty-nine  members,  sjDeaking  thirteen  different 
languages,  who  had  been  gathered  together  by  the 
missionaries,  and  who  remained  steadfast,  holding 
meetings  every  Sabbath  and  praying  for  some 
one  to  teach  them  more  of  Jesus.  A  native 
Creek,  ardent  and  devoted,  was  appointed  as  their 
missionary. 

An  interesting  mission  was  opened  among  the 
Kiowas,  who  numbered  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred. Their  reservation  was  in  the  southwest 
portion  of  the  Territory,  near  the  pan-handle  of 
Texas,  and  though  called  wild  Indians  they  were 
not  nomads.  One  of  their  number,  who  had  been 
educated  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  told  Mr.  Murrow  that,  so 
far  as  he  knew,  he  was  the  only  Christian  among 
them.  The  station  was  put  in  charge  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lancaster,  simple,  earnest  Christian  people. 
The  Indians  treated  them  kindly  and  expressed 
confidence  and  gratitude.     They  said  they  were 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  357 

anxious  to  live  as  the  white  people  lived,  and  Mr. 
Lancaster  endeavored  to  teach  them  to  farm, 
while  his  wife  opened  a  little  school.  They  were 
anxious  for  churches  and  schools,  preferring  not  to 
send  their  children  to  the  States,  Mr.  Lancaster 
was  surprised  at  his  kindly  reception  and  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  him,  for  the  white  men  who  had 
come  among  them  heretofore  had  been  men  of 
such  evil  life  and  character,  and  none  had  ever 
taught  them  purity,  sobriety,  and  industry.  Mr. 
Lancaster  bravely  rebuked  the  vices  of  the  In- 
dians, and  tried  to  teach  them  what  they  said  they 
wanted  to  know,  the  true  road  that  leads  to  the 
great  Spirit. 

In  the  summer  of  1891  Mr.  Murrow  tendered 
his  resignation  as  a  missionary  of  the  Board.  He 
declined  to  co-operate  with  the  Board  in  its  efforts 
to  organize  the  churches  in  the  Territory,  which 
were  in  sympathy  with  the  Convention,  into  such 
a  body  as  would  be  efficient  in  promoting  the  work 
in  the  Territory,  and  as  his  relations  with  the 
Board  had  not  seemed  to  be  satisfactory  to  him, 
his  resignation  was  accepted. 

The  Levering  school  was  never  more  prosperous 
than  under  the  management  of  J.  O.  Wright,  who 
was  the  principal  teacher,  and  who  on  the  death  of 
Major  Vore,  succeeded  him  as  superintendent.  It 
was  exerting  a  most  beneficent  influence  in  behalf 
of  Christian  education  and  the  development  of  in- 


358     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

dustrial  pursuits  among  the  people  ;  but  the  Creek 
nation,  having  become  possessed  of  a  larger  per 
capita  school  fund  than  other  people,  resolved  to 
terminate  all  existing  contracts  with  all  mission 
Boards,  and  resume  the  sole  responsibility  for  the 
education  of  its  people.  In  accordance  with  this 
resolution,  the  Levering  school  was  transferred  to 
the  control  of  the  Creek  nation  at  the  close  of  the 
session  of   1891. 

The  Woman's  Society  of  Christian  Work  of  the 
Creek  and  Seminole  Baptist  churches  was  organ- 
ized in  1888.  James  Colbert  and  William  Mc- 
Combs  drafted  the  constitution  and  organized  a 
local  society,  which  in  1891  included  all  the 
churches  of  both  nations.  The  women  were  new 
to  organized  work,  and  their  progress  at  first  was 
slow,  but  their  faithfulness  and  earnestness  were 
such  as  to  give  promise  of  success.  James  Col- 
bert was  a  man  of  some  note  among  his  people. 
He  was  a  full-blood  Creek  Indian,  and  a  boy  of 
such  promise  that  his  uncle,  who  had  the  care  of 
him,  sent  him  to  one  of  the  mission  schools. 
Doctor  Buckner  then  became  interested  in  him  and 
secured  for  him  a  place  in  the  institute  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  and  later  was  instrumental  in  giving 
him  two  sessions  at  the  Southern  Baptist  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  where  he  studied  for  the  min- 
istry. In  1 89 1  he  was  one  of  the  foremost 
preachers    in    the    Creek   and    Seminole   nations. 


THE    INDIAN    MISSIONS  359 

He  was  pastor  of  the  Tuskegee  church  for  six- 
teen years  and  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  the 
spring  of  1898.  The  Indian  Territory  lost  one  of 
its  ablest  helpers  when,  in  November,  1895,  Rev. 
E.  L.  Compere  entered  into  rest.  He  was  a  man 
of  vigorous  intellect,  strong  conviction,  and  stead- 
fast courage,  and  the  influence  of  his  life  will 
endure  for  many  years  to  come.  For  a  number 
of  years  the  work  of  the  Home  Mission  Board 
among  the  Indians  was  done  in  connection  with 
the  General  Association  of  West  Arkansas  and 
Indian  Territory.  The  Board  made  no  appoint- 
ments in  the  Territory,  but  aided  the  Association 
in  prosecuting  its  work. 

Complications  similar  to  those  which  had  arisen 
in  Oklahoma  Territory  prevailed  in  Indian  Terri- 
tory, and  the  condition  of  affairs  had  become  such 
as  to  make  it  necessary  for  the  good  of  the  work 
there,  either  that  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society  and  the  Home  Mission  Board 
should  enter  into  co-operation,  or  else  that  one  or 
the  other  should  withdraw  from  the  field.  A  con- 
ference of  five  members  from  the  Home  Mission 
Society,  five  from  the  Home  Mission  Board,  and 
five  from  each  of  the  rival  Conventions  in  the 
Territory,  met  at  South  McAlister  in  March,  1900, 
and  after  a  protracted  and  exhaustive  discussion 
plans  were  devised  and  heartily  agreed  to,  looking 
to  the  union  of  the  two  Conventions  upon  terms 


360     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

agreeable  to  both.  All  necessary  arrangements 
were  made  for  carrying  the  plans  agreed  upon 
into  execution.  In  the  autumn  a  meeting  of  the 
two  rival  Conventions  was  held  at  Durant.  When 
the  two  bodies  met  in  temporary  organization, 
many  questions  arose  which  threatened  to  make 
unification  impracticable,  but  a  spirit  of  generosity 
and  forbearance  prevailed,  matters  were  satisfac- 
torily adjusted,  and  the  two  Conventions  united 
according  to  the  terms  of  the  agreement  entered 
into  at  South  McAlister.  This  unification  has  not 
fulfilled  its  promise  of  harmony.  The  Home  Mis- 
sion Society  differs  from  the  Home  Mission  Board 
in  policy  and  practice,  and  its  larger  means  enables 
it  to  conduct  its  affairs  on  a  more  expensive  scale 
than  the  Home  Board  is  in  a  position  to  afford. 
These  differences  and  inequalities  are  sometimes 
painfully  evident.  Harmonious  relations  or  a  di- 
vision of  territory  are  essential  to  that  determined 
and  continuous  effort  which  the  problems  of  the 
Territory  demand.  Not  least  among  these  is  the 
race  problem,  and  in  a  Christian  civilization  lies 
the  only  hope  of  its  satisfactory  adjustment.  The 
greed  of  the  white  man  has  pursued  the  Indian 
into  his  last  stronghold,  and  only  the  restraining 
power  of  Christianity  will  prevent  yet  greater 
wrong  to  this  fast-vanishing  race. 


XVII 

THE    CUBAN    MISSION 

GOD'S  providence  has  never  been  more  clearly 
demonstrated  than  in  the  island  of  Cuba.  A 
resolution  directing  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  to 
open  a  mission  in  Cuba  was  brought  before  the 
Convention  of  1882,  but  was  tabled  with  scarcely 
an  opposing  voice.  The  mover  of  the  resolution 
requested  that  it  be  recorded  upon  the  minutes ; 
but  when  sought,  the  paper  could  not  be  found 
and  no  record  was  made  of  it.  However,  God's 
Spirit  was  already  moving  upon  the  hearts  of  his 
people.  While  the  Convention  was  tabling  this 
resolution,  the  man  chosen  of  God  to  open  this 
work  lay  upon  a  bed  of  sickness  in  a  strange  city, 
coming  into  the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel. 

Another  link  in  the  chain  of  events  leading  to 
the  emancipation  of  Cuba  from  the  thraldom  of 
Romanism  was  being  forged  in  the  history  of 
Adella  Fales,  a  young  Cuban  girl,  whose  parents 
moved  to  Biloxi,  Miss.,  while  she  was  yet  a  child. 
The  two  sisters,  Marie  and  Adella,  attended  Sun- 
day-school and  the  Baptist  church.  The  mother 
and  sister  were  baptized,  but  Adella,  being  only 

361 


362     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

seven,  was  thought  too  young.  After  two  years 
they  returned  to  Cuba  and  Adella  sorrowed  greatly 
at  leaving  her  Sunday-school.  She  carried  her 
Testament  and  a  number  of  Sunday-school  pa- 
pers with  her,  and  would  read  to  her  playmates 
and  tell  them  of  the  school  she  went  to  on  Sun- 
day. She  often  came  to  her  parents  crying  and 
begging  them  to  move  back  to  the  United  States, 
where  she  could  go  to  her  school  and  get  her 
paper,  "  Kind  Words,"  again. 

Her  family  remained  in  Cuba  seven  years  and 
then  moved  to  Key  West  just  before  Rev.  W.  F. 
Wood  went  there  as  pastor.  Adella  began  to 
hunt  for  her  Sunday-school  and  found  one  in  the 
Episcopal  church,  but  to  her  great  disappointment 
there  was  no  "Kind  Words."  She  joined  the 
school  and  told  the  minister  that  she  wanted  to 
work  for  Jesus.  Soon  after  the  long-closed  Bap- 
tist church  in  Key  West  was  opened  and  a  Sun- 
day-school organized.  One  afternoon  a  Cuban  girl 
came  into  the  school  and  quietly  took  her  seat. 
W^hen  the  pastor  in  distributing  "  Kind  Words," 
offered  her  a  paper,  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  took 
it  in  both  hands,  kissed  it,  and  sat  back  weeping. 
The  pastor  spoke  kindly  to  her,  wondering  at  her 
agitation.  Soon  after  Mr.  Wood,  in  walking 
through  the  burying  ground,  read  these  fading 
words  on  the  tombstone  of  a  Methodist  minister  : 
"  Don't  give  up  Cuba."     As  he  sat  in  his  study. 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  363 

praying  and  pondering  over  the  words,  his  wife 
came  in  to  say  that  a  Cuban  girl  wanted  to  see 
him.  It  was  Adella  Fales.  She  told  him  of  her 
early  impressions  and  of  the  joy  that  had  come 
to  her.  Filled  with  a  burning  purpose,  he  ex- 
claimed in  faith  :  "Thank  God,  Cuba  for  Christ." 

The  Florida  Convention,  in  1884,  instructed  its 
Board  of  Missions  to  employ  Miss  Fales  as  teacher 
and  interpreter  for  Mr.  Wood.  She  entered  upon 
her  work  at  once,  and,  as  a  result  of  their  united 
efforts,  many  Cubans  were  converted  and  baptized, 
among  them  a  brother  of  Adella.  Thus  the  "  Baby 
Mission,"  as  it  was  called  by  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker, 
who  by  tongue  and  pen  sought  to  create  and  foster 
an  interest  in  the  work,  entered  upon  its  ministry 
of  blessing. 

Meanwhile  God  was  preparing  another  instru- 
ment for  his  use  in  the  redemption  of  Cuba. 
Some  years  previously,  during  a  Cuban  rebellion, 
a  young  captain  in  the  rebel  army  was  sent  by  his 
commander  to  notify  the  occupants  of  one  of  the 
outposts  that  they  were  in  danger  of  an  attack  by 
Spanish  forces.  In  attempting  to  execute  this 
order  he  and  his  companions  were  surrounded  by 
the  enemy  at  a  point  on  the  seashore.  Escape  by 
land  was  impossible,  and,  rather  than  surrender, 
they  decided  to  trust  themselves  to  the  mercy  of 
the  deep.  Under  cover  of  night  each  selected  a 
piece  of  wood  and  plunged  into  the  sea,  hoping 


364     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

that  the  strong  current  sweeping  around  the 
island  would  bear  them  beyond  their  enemies  to  a 
point  where  they  could  land  and  return  in  safety 
to  their  friends.  But  the  current  bore  them  out  to 
sea  and  about  midnight  they  were  picked  up  by  a 
small  vessel. 

The  captain,  Alberto  J.  Diaz,  found  his  way  to 
New  York.  A  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Havana  in  both  its  law  and  medical  departments, 
he  determined  to  prosecute  his  medical  studies 
during  his  stay  in  the  city.  The  climate  proved 
too  severe  for  this  child  of  the  tropics,  and  he  was 
prostrated  by  an  attack  of  pneumonia.  His  sad 
condition  brought  to  his  aid  a  young  lady,  Miss 
Alice  Tucker,  a  Christian  and  a  Baptist,  whose 
regard  he  had  won  by  his  politeness  and  intelli- 
gence. As  she  sat  by  his  bedside  ministering  to 
his  wants  she  often  read  her  Bible,  and,  as  her 
patient  said,  "  closed  her  eyes  and  talked  to  her- 
self." This  strange  conduct  excited  his  curiosity, 
and  when  in  reply  to  his  questioning  she  told  him 
that  the  book  was  the  New  Testament  and  that 
she  had  been  praying  for  him,  he  became  anxious 
to  possess  the  book.  She  gave  it  to  him  and  he 
began  translating  it  into  Spanish  that  he  might 
the  better  understand  it.  While  thus  engaged  he 
learned  that  he  could  obtain  a  Spanish  translation 
from  the  American  Bible  Society,  and,  securing 
one,  commenced   a   diligent   study  of  the  life  of 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  365 

Christ.  The  story  of  blind  Bartimeus  strongly- 
impressed  him.  He  realized  that  he  too  was  blind 
and  could  not  see  Jesus.  He  knew  not  how  to 
pray  and  express  the  agony  of  his  breaking  heart. 
Prostrating  himself  upon  the  floor,  his  anguish 
found  vent  in  moans  and  tears  until  at  last  he 
cried  out  in  the  very  words  of  Bartimeus,  "Jesus, 
thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me,"  and  the 
exile  found  him  whom  he  sought. 

He  remained  in  New  York  for  some  time  per- 
fecting himself  in  his  profession ;  but  his  thoughts 
often  turned  to  those  dear  to  him  who  were  igno- 
rant of  the  saving  power  of  the  gospel,  and  he 
longed  to  carry  to  them  the  message  of  life.  As 
soon  as  an  amnesty  was  proclaimed  he  sailed  for 
Cuba,  but  his  family  were  not  yet  ready  to  receive 
the  truth.  When  from  the  depths  of  his  love  he 
urged  them  no  longer  to  trust  in  form  and  cere- 
mony, but  in  Him  who  is  the  way,  the  truth,  and 
the  life,  they  were  filled  with  surprise  and  pity. 
Overwhelmed  with  distress  at  his  change  of  view, 
they  forbade  him  to  speak  to  them  upon  the  sub- 
ject. From  his  mother  especially,  a  woman  of 
strong  character,  unbending  will,  and  a  stanch  Ro- 
manist, he  encountered  the  most  bitter  opposition. 
In  his  anguish  at  this  repulse  he  thought  of  his 
friends  in  the  city,  some  of  whom  might  hear 
though  his  kinsmen  refused.  He  was  not  disap- 
pointed.    A    meeting    was   arranged   for   Sunday 


366     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF   S.    B.    CONVENTION 

morning,  and  to  those  who  assembled  Diaz 
preached  Jesus  and  the  resurrection.  Sunday 
after  Sunday  these  meetings  were  held ;  the  inter- 
est deepened,  the  attendance  increased,  and  some 
found  peace  in  believing.  A  hall  in  the  city  was 
rented  and  a  society  organized  for  religious  wor- 
ship. Baptist  articles  of  faith  were  embodied  in 
the  constitution,  and  none  but  those  who  had  been 
made  new  creatures  in  Christ  were  permitted  to 
unite.  Thus  the  Reformed  Church  of  Cuba  was 
constituted.  The  society  soon  numbered  a  hun- 
dred members. 

The  movement  at  last  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  priests,  and  the  people  were  warned  not  to 
employ  Diaz  as  a  physician.  His  means  of  sup- 
port being  thus  suddenly  taken  away,  the  alterna- 
tive of  starvation  or  leaving  his  field  of  usefulness 
was  presented  to  him.  With  a  heavy  heart  he 
sailed  for  New  York,  hoping  to  find  some  way  by 
which  he  might  continue  his  work  in  Cuba.  The 
hand  of  God  was  still  leading  him.  During  his 
stay  in  New  York  he  received  a  clearer  under- 
standing of  the  way  of  the  Lord,  and  was  baptized 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  Willoughby  Avenue 
Baptist  Church,  Brooklyn,  by  Doctor  Montgomery. 
The  old  longing  seized  him  to  bear  the  glad  tidings 
to  his  own  people,  and  while  he  was  anxiousl}^ 
looking  for  an  opening  he  was  brought  into  cor- 
respondence with  some  noble  Christian  women  in 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  367 

Philadelphia  who  wished  to  support  a  colporter  in 
Cuba.  Under  an  appointment  from  the  American 
Bible  Society  he  was  soon  again  in  Cuba  among 
his  people,  scattering  Bibles  and  Testaments  and 
preaching  on  the  Sabbath.  Persecution  arose; 
Diaz  was  imprisoned  and  put  in  one  cell  and  his 
Bibles  in  another.  But  like  Peter  of  old,  he 
preached  in  the  prison,  and  God  so  blessed  him 
that  the  jailer  and  the  mayor  of  the  city  were  con- 
verted and  Diaz  baptized  them.  He  was  attacked 
by  a  mob  and  shot  at,  but  none  of  these  things 
moved  him.  He  went  quietly  on  with  his  work, 
and  had  the  joy  of  seeing  his  brother  and  sister 
find  the  way  of  life. 

Some  Christians  from  Key  West  moved  back  to 
Havana,  and  finding  Christians  holding  the  same 
truths  as  themselves,  wrote  to  friends  in  Key 
West.  Mr,  Wood  noticed  that  Miss  Fales  seemed 
troubled  in  mind,  and  asking  the  cause  of  her 
anxiety,  learned  that  she  had  translated  a  letter 
from  Cuba  for  her  father  which  said  that  there 
was  a  man  in  Havana  named  Diaz,  who  was  a 
Baptist  and  would  not  obey  the  church.  Mr. 
Wood  sent  a  member  of  the  Key  West  church  to 
Havana  to  learn  the  facts,  and  on  his  return  he 
said  that  he  had  found  the  man  Diaz  preaching 
on  Sunday  morning  to  a  large  congregation,  and 
that  he  certainly  preached  Baptist  doctrine.  These 
facts  were  reported  to  the  Florida  State  Board  of 


368     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

Missions,  and  at  its  meeting  in  July  the  Board 
borrowed  ^loo,  and  instructed  Mr.  Wood  to  go 
to  Cuba  and  confer  with  and  encourage  the  lonely 
missionary. 

He  went  in  September,  and  finding  Miss  Minnie 
Diaz,  who  had  been  baptized  in  New  York,  em- 
ployed her  at  once  to  organize  a  Sunday-school 
and  teach  a  day  school.  He  found  Diaz  acting 
as  pastor  of  the  church,  but  unable  to  administer 
the  ordinances  because  unordained,  and  the  church 
composed  almost  entirely  of  unbajDtized  believers. 
Mr.  Wood  proposed  to  Mr.  Diaz  to  become  a  mis- 
sionary of  the  Sotithern  Baptist  Convention  and 
bring  his  work  into  connection  with  that  body. 
After  correspondence  between  the  State  Board  of 
Florida  and  Diaz  through  Mr.  Wood,  the  State 
Convention  held  in  Jacksonville  in  November  in- 
structed the  Board  to  inaugurate  a  mission  in 
Cuba.  Diaz  consented  to  become  their  missionary, 
and  met  a  council  of  ministers  and  deacons  at 
Key  West,  where  he  was  ordained  December  1 2, 
1885. 

When  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  met  in 
Montgomery,  in  May,  1886,  the  work  in  Cuba 
was,  after  due  consideration,  placed  under  the  care 
of  the  Home  Mission  Board.  A  Baptist  church 
had  been  regularly  constituted  in  Havana  on  the 
twenty-sixth  of  January,  1886,  and  a  baptistery 
constructed    in   the    house   of    worship,    it    being 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  369 

against  the  law  for  Protestants  to  perform  any 
religious  act  in  public.  The  whole  body  of  be- 
lievers were  soon  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of 
the  church.  The  mother  of  Diaz,  whose  opposi- 
tion had  melted  away  as  she  saw  the  power  of  the 
truth  exemplified  in  the  lives  of  her  son  and 
daughter,  but  whose  pride  had  made  her  struggle 
into  the  light  a  lonely  one,  came  forward  to  unite 
with  the  church.  She  had  not  spoken  to  her  son 
for  six  months,  and  in  his  surprise  he  thought  she 
was  going  to  reprove  him  before  the  whole  assem- 
bly. He  walked  away,  but  she  followed  him  and 
cried  out,  "  Alberto,  are  you  not  willing  for  me  to 
join  your  church  .-'  "  His  rigid  examination  brought 
out  clearly  the  genuineness  of  her  repentance  and 
the  simplicity  of  her  faith.  She  was  the  first  one 
to  enter  the  water,  the  fir.st  time  that  Diaz  admin- 
istered the  ordinance  of  baptism.  In  his  joy  his 
feelings  so  overcame  him  that  he  forgot  the  for- 
mula, and  looking  up  said  simply,  "  Here,  Lord 
Jesus,  this  is  my  mother." 

Strength  of  character  and  force  of  will  fitted 
Mrs.  Diaz  to  become  a  power  in  the  mission. 
She  was  the  moving  spirit  in  an  organization  of  a 
thousand  women  similar  in  its  plan  of  work  to  the 
"King's  Daughters."  This  organization  was  di- 
vided into  circles  of  ten,  with  a  Baptist  woman  at 
the  head  of  each,  and  was  engaged  in  caring  for 
the  destitute  and  also  in  evangelistic  work. 


370     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

The  growth  of  the  new  faith  in  Cuba  again  ex- 
cited the  animosity  of  the  Romish  Church,  but 
when,  humanly  speaking,  the  infant  interest  might 
have  been  strangled  in  its  cradle,  God  interposed 
his  hand.  The  loathsome  and  deadly  scourge  of 
smallpox  broke  out  in  Havana.  Thousands  fled 
from  the  plague-smitten  city  and  the  poor  were 
left  to  perish  unattended.  Now  was  the  oppor- 
tunity for  the  infant  church.  Diaz,  himself  a 
skilled  physician,  called  his  people  together,  three 
hundred  and  fifty  in  number,  and  with  a  courage, 
fortitude,  and  faith  that  finds  no  parallel  in  the 
history  of  modern  Christianity,  they  went  out  to 
do  battle  with  disease  and  death.  When  the  pesti- 
lence relaxed  its  grasp  one-half  of  the  church  slept 
in  martyrs'  graves  in  the  little  Baptist  cemetery. 

This  cemetery  was  one  of  the  blessings  wrought 
out  of  sorrow  and  death.  A  Baptist  from  Ken- 
tucky died  in  Havana,  and  Diaz,  unable  to  get 
permission  to  bury  him  in  consecrated  ground  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  cemetery,  succeeded,  through 
the  American  consul,  in  securing  a  permit  to  bury 
him  in  a  sort  of  "  Potter's  Field  "  connected  with  the 
cemetery.  Diaz  was  greatly  distressed  to  find  the 
grave  desecrated  by  animals,  but  the  priests  sneer, 
ingly  saying  that  it  was  good  enough  for  a  heretic 
Baptist.  The  necessity  for  a  Baptist  cemetery 
forced  itself  upon  the  mind  of  Diaz,  and  when  he 
spoke  of  it  to  his  wife  she  urged  him  to  offer  spe- 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  371 

cial  prayer.  That  very  night  their  petition  went 
up  to  God  that  he  would  give  them  a  Baptist  ceme- 
tery. The  next  morning  Diaz  was  visited  by  Dea- 
con J.  S.  Paine,  of  Boston,  who,  ignorant  of  what 
had  occurred,  proposed  to  give  him  $200  to  buy 
land  for  a  cemetery.  This  sum  was  not  sufficient, 
but  it  was  supplemented  by  a  contribution  of  $300 
from  the  Alabama  Baptist  Convention,  and  five 
acres  of  land  were  bought  and  the  cemetery  was 
opened.  Every  effort  was  made  by  the  Bishop 
of  Havana  to  prevent  the  issue  of  a  license  for  the 
cemetery,  on  the  ground  that  according  to  the  law 
only  a  church  could  own  a  cemetery;  but  the  cap- 
tain general  decided  that  in  the  eyes  of  the  law  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Havana  was  as  much  a  church 
as  the  Catholic  Church.  The  bishop  then  tried 
by  anathemas  and  threats  to  prevent  the  people 
from  burying  their  dead  in  the  Baptist  cemetery, 
for  he  was  losing  revenue  from  the  Catholic  ceme- 
tery. Failing  to  prevent  them,  he  sent  one  of  his 
emissaries  to  Diaz  to  offer  him  $20,000  in  gold  if 
he  would  close  the  cemetery  and  leave  Cuba.  Diaz 
replied,  "  You  have  not  enough  money  in  Cuba 
nor  in  Rome  to  buy  me."  Cases  in  the  courts 
were  made  out  against  Diaz,  but  he  had  able  coun- 
sel, acted  within  the  law  at  every  step,  and  the 
bishop  found  himself  beaten  in  every  case.  En- 
raged and  desperate,  he  sent  a  hundred  men,  at 
night,  who  tore  up  the  road  leading  to  the  ceme- 


'^']2     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONXENTION 

tery  so  that  it  could  not  be  used.  Diaz  opened  a 
new  road,  and  the  people  continued  to  patronize 
the  heretic  cemetery  until,  within  eight  months, 
though  the  charges  were  not  one-tenth  of  those  of 
the  Catholic  cemetery,  all  expenses  were  met  and 
^2,400  deposited  to  the  credit  of  the  Home  Mis- 
sion Board.  Rome  was  baffled  and  the  cemetery 
was  secure. 

The  manner  in  which  Diaz  met  all  these  varied 
trials,  lasting  for  many  months,  elicited  this  well- 
deserved  tribute.  It  was  said  that  he  never  lost 
his  poise,  never  made  a  mistake,  whether  deal- 
ing with  the  captain-general  of  Cuba,  the  con- 
sul-general of  the  United  States,  or  with  his  own 
people,  sometimes  wrought  up  to  desperation. 
He  was  always  the  calm  and  sagacious  leader, 
doing  the  right  thing  in  the  right  way  and  at  the 
right  time.  God  gave  him  wisdom  and  strength 
for  the  dark  days  through  which  he  called  him  to 
pass. 

News  of  the  second  arrest  and  imprisonment  of 
Diaz  on  June  25,  1890,  emphasized  the  fact  that 
persecution  had  not  ceased.  Diaz,  with  Rev. 
Angel  Godinez,  went  to  Guanabacoa  to  hold  a 
meeting  with  Rev.  Desiderio  Herrera,  the  pastor 
of  a  new  interest.  A  quiet,  orderly  congregation 
of  about  four  hundred  asseml)led,  but  before  the 
close  of  the  meeting  they  were  interrupted  by  the 
police,  and  the  preachers  were  informed  that  they 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  373 

had  violated  the  law.  According  to  Cuban  law 
due  notice  of  all  religious  meetings,  except  those 
held  by  Catholics,  must  be  given  to  the  authori- 
ties, the  theory  being  that  the  priests  can  thus 
protect  the  meetings  from  molestation.  The  mis- 
sionaries had  always  been  careful  to  observe  this 
law,  and,  when  pastor  Herrera  had  begun  to  hold 
meetings  in  November  previous,  he  had  given  due 
notice.  When  Diaz  appeared  before  the  mayor, 
assured  that  he  was  in  the  right,  the  official  in 
charge  informed  him  that  the  notice  had  been 
given,  but  could  not  be  found.  Diaz  and  his  com- 
panions were  sent  to  prison.  A  thousand  people 
followed  him,  infuriated  and  ready  to  mob  the 
officer  in  charge.  Diaz  had  to  appear  on  the  bal- 
cony and  pacify  them.  Nineteen  hours  later  the 
notice  was  found,  but  the  authorities,  unwilling  to 
acknowledge  the  injustice  done,  availed  themselves 
of  the  pretext  that  one  word  had  been  omitted, 
the  Cuban  law  requiring  that  the  name  of  the  man 
in  charge  be  inserted.  This  notice  had  been  signed 
by  Mr.  Herrera  as  pastor.  After  two  days  and  a 
half  of  imprisonment  they  were  released  on  bail, 
but  the  excitement  caused  Diaz  a  sharp  attack  of 
illness.  This  incident  reacted  favorably.  The 
liberal  press  condemned  the  action  of  the  governor 
of  Guanabacoa  and  defended  the  Baptist  ministers. 
A  name  closely  linked  with  that  of  Diaz  in  the 
early  history  of  the  Cuban  mission  is  that  of  Jose 


374     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

V.  Cova,  who  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  No- 
vember 1 8,  1888.  He  is  highly  educated,  speaks 
EngHsh  miusually  well,  and  has  had  a  profound 
religious  experience.  God  revealed  himself  to 
him  through  his  words  recorded  in  the  Gospel  of 
John.  During  his  school  life  in  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Cova  had  become  attached  to  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  soon  after  his  return  to  Cuba  an  Epis- 
copal mission  was  established  and  he  was  asked 
to  aid  in  its  work.  He  accepted  joyfully  and 
began  studying  for  ordination.  While  preparing 
for  his  journey  to  Jacksonville  to  be  ordained  a 
cablegram  announced  the  death  of  the  Bishop  of 
Florida,  under  whose  charge  the  mission  had  been 
established.  No  further  help  came  from  that 
State,  and  the  missionary,  Mr.  Baez,  set  out  for 
Key  West  to  secure  aid,  leaving  Mr.  Cova  in 
charge  of  the  work.  Neither  help  nor  instruction 
came,  and,  the  people  believing  themselves  aban- 
doned, closed  the  chapels  and  Mr.  Cova  retired  to 
private  life.  A  few  months  later,  Mr.  Cova  met 
his  old  friend  and  classmate,  Diaz,  and  they  had  a 
long  talk  about  the  new  church.  Mr.  Cova  exam- 
ined the  tenets  of  the  church,  and,  to  his  surprise 
and  pleasure,  found  that  they  omitted  those  forms 
which  had  been  repugnant  to  him  in  the  Episcopal 
Church.  He  says  he  was  convinced  that  he  was 
in  the  presence  of  the  Christ's  true  church  and 
lost  no  time  in  attaching  himself  to  it.      Modest 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  375 

and  retiring  in  disposition,  he  goes  on  quietly  with 
his  work  and  is  a  faithful  and  devoted  missionary. 

Another  name  associated  with  the  early  history 
of  the  mission  is  that  of  Francis  Bueno,  a  good 
preacher,  entertaining  and  instructive.  While  he 
was  pastor  of  a  church  in  Havana  one  of  his  mem- 
bers, who  had  been  reared  in  San  Miguel  district, 
asked  him  to  visit  his  old  home  and  preach  to  the 
people.  He  did  so.  Nearly  the  whole  population 
turned  out  to  meet  him,  and  a  second  visit  was 
solicited.  The  prospect  was  so  encouraging  that 
the  mission  conference  at  Havana  determined  to 
locate  Mr.  Bueno  permanently  in  San  Miguel.  A 
day  school  of  fifty  scholars  was  established,  taught 
by  Mrs.  Bueno,  an  intelligent,  consecrated  woman. 
Two  night  schools  were  also  established,  one  for 
young  men  and  one  for  young  women.  A  church 
of  thirty  believers  was  gathered  and  the  whole 
population  brought  under  the  influence  of  the  truth. 
The  Catholic  Church  was  so  far  abandoned  that 
the  angry  priest  notified  the  people  that  he  would 
return  no  more. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  work  in  Havana  the 
great  need  had  been  a  central  home  for  the  main 
mission  church.  The  laws  permitting  Protestant 
worship  provide  that  such  worship  shall  be  within 
closed  doors,  hidden  from  public  view.  An  inter- 
esting chain  of  providences  led  to  the  supply  of 
this  need.     In   1880  one  Jan6  built  a  theatre  de- 


1^6     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    COxWENTION 

signed  to  be  a  leading  place  of  amusement  in  the 
city  of  Havana.  It  was  a  noble  structure,  with 
an  iron  dome  rising  eighty  feet  in  the  air,  and  was 
surrounded  by  an  arcade  that  separated  it  entirely 
from  the  street.  The  location  was  admirable,  a 
corner  lot  almost  in  the  very  center  of  the  city,  on 
a  street  car  line,  and  within  half  a  square  of  the 
most  beautiful  park  in  Havana.  The  venture  was 
not  a  successful  one,  and,  when  Doctor  Tichenor 
visited  Havana  to  select  a  site  for  the  new  church, 
the  theatre  Jane  was  on  the  market.  After  many 
vexatious  delays  it  was  purchased  by  the  Home 
Board  on  most  advantageous  terms,  the  price 
paid  being  $65,000.  The  auditorium  was  ad- 
mirably adapted  for  church  purposes  and  other 
rooms  in  the  building  could  be  rented  to  advan- 
tage. 

In  February,  1891,  a  large  party  sailed  from 
Tampa  to  witness  the  dedication  of  the  Gethsem- 
ane  Baptist  Church,  of  Havana,  Cuba.  Trans- 
formed for  its  new  uses,  it  was  dedicated  February 
15.  A  description  of  the  interior  by  one  of  the 
visitors  tells  of  moldings  in  delicate  tracery,  of 
walls  frescoed  in  tasteful  designs,  on  the  panels  of 
which  the  letters  stand  boldly  out,  "  Dios  es 
Amor,'"  "God  is  Love."  The  proscenium  arch, 
broad  and  high,  faces  the  entrance,  and  contains 
the  pulpit  platform.  An  open  baptistery  stretches 
from  end  to  end  of    the  arch,  lined  in  front  by 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  377 

natural  rocks  and  framed  behind  by  living  plants. 
A  tropical  scene  fills  in  the  rear,  so  that  on  a  bap- 
tismal occasion  the  appearance  is  as  if  it  were 
under  the  free  heavens  and  in  the  Master's  own 
land. 

The  morning  service  on  the  day  of  dedication 
was  in  English,  and  the  house  was  well  filled,  many 
of  the  auditors  being  American  guests  of  the  ad- 
jacent hotels.  The  exercises  were  conducted  by 
Doctor  Tichenor,  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
Home  Mission  Board,  while  Dr.  Lansing  Burrows 
and  Dr.  J.  B.  Hawthorne  delivered  the  addresses, 
which  aimed  at  a  synopsis  of  Baptist  doctrine. 
The  former  touched  upon  the  vital  difference  ex- 
isting between  the  true  Christianity  of  the  Bible 
and  the  crude  and  partial  type  visible  in  Roman 
Catholic  countries.  The  latter  treated  of  the  doc- 
trines of  faith,  of  obedience  as  the  index  of  faith, 
and  of  the  liberated  conscience,  untrammeled  by 
the  dictates  of  temporal  power.  Pastor  Diaz  at- 
tempted to  follow  with  a  brief  address,  but  his 
emotion  visibly  overcame  him. 

The  great  house  was  filled  for  the  Spanish 
service  in  the  evening.  Native  Cubans  and 
resident  Spaniards  thronged  the  galleries,  about 
twenty  judges  of  the  various  courts,  with  lawyers 
and  merchants,  were  present,  and  upon  the  faces 
of  vast  numbers  character  and  intelligence  were 
stamped.      Pastor  Cova,  of  the  Pilar  Church,  spoke 


3/8     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

first,  from  the  closing  chapters  of  Luke's  Gospel. 
Rev.  H.  M.  King,  of  Key  West,  in  whose  church 
the  first  mission  work  in  Cuba  was  planned,  fol- 
lowed in  an  English  address,  giving  an  account  of 
the  inception  of  the  enterprise.  The  address  of 
Signor  Chomat,  one  of  the  judges  who  spoke  as 
representing  the  general  population,  was  said  to  be 
very  remarkable,  sounding  no  uncertain  note  of  op- 
position to  Romish  exactions,  lauding  the  principle 
of  soul  liberty,  and  extending  hearty  assurances  of 
friendship  to  the  American  Baptists,  who  had 
achieved  so  signal  a  triumph.  Although  the  large 
audience  was  somewhat  weary  when  Diaz  arose  to 
deliver  the  closing  address,  he  soon  aroused  them 
to  his  own  enthusiastic  pitch  and  by  his  fervid  ut- 
terances moved  them  to  tears,  then  lifted  them  to 
the  heights  of  religious  fervor.  His  theme  was, 
"  For  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation."  One 
who  witnessed  it  said,  the  apostle  of  Cuba  never 
appeared  so  great  and  noble  and  consecrated  as  in 
this  hour  of  his  triumph,  when,  his  soul  aflame 
with  emotion,  he  beheld  the  consummation  of  his 
hopes. 

Day  schools  became  an  important  factor  in  the 
evangelization  of  the  island,  and  as  they  increased 
in  number  and  usefulness  a  high  school  became  a 
necessity.  In  this  school  higher  education  under 
Christian  influences  was  given  to  the  children  of 
Protestants,  and  indeed  to  any  who  wished  to  at- 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  379 

tend.  It  was  designed  to  train  young  women  as 
teachers  and  mission  workers,  and  it  was  soon 
filled  with  bright,  intelligent  girls.  Diaz  exercised 
a  wise  precaution  in  the  selection  of  girls  for  the 
high  school,  only  receiving  such  as  he  was  assured 
would  remain  long  enough  to  receive  an  education 
which  would  fit  them  for  greater  usefulness.  A 
legal  contract  was  entered  into  with  the  parents 
which  secured  this  end.  A  fourth  part  of  the 
church  building  was  occupied  for  school  purposes 
and  a  few  pupils  were  received  as  boarders.  Some 
industrial  training  was  also  given,  and  in  a  singular 
way  sewing  machines  were  provided  for  the  girls. 
Diaz,  his  wife  and  mother,  had  made  this  need  a 
subject  of  special  prayer.  A  few  days  later,  at  an 
evening  meeting,  the  collector  handed  Diaz  an  en- 
velope containing  a  Spanish  bill  for  five  hundred 
dollars,  with  a  slip  enclosed  signed  by  an  unbeliever, 
saying,  Take  this  and  buy  sewing  machines  for  the 
girls'  school.  Diaz  hesitated  to  use  the  money, 
but  it  occurred  to  him  that  God  sent  ravens  to 
feed  Elijah,  and  the  same  God  had  sent  this  money 
by  an  unbeliever  to  meet  a  pressing  need.  The 
machines  were  bought,  and  were  soon  furnishing 
means  to  support  the  poor  girls  whom  Diaz  had 
undertaken  to  educate. 

Soon  after  Diaz  broadened  his  work  by  founding 
a  hospital  for  women  and  children.  He  had  had 
this  object  before  him  for  nearly  two  years,  and  had 


380     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF   S.    B.    CONVENTION 

received  from  a  gentleman  living  across  the  street 
from  the  church  a  gift  of  about  an  acre  and  a  half 
of  land,  worth  about  ^10,000,  on  one  of  the  finest 
avenues  in  the  city,  as  a  site  for  the  hospital.  As 
a  beginning,  several  rooms  in  the  rear  of  the  church 
were  fitted  up  for  offices  and  consulting  rooms,  and 
a  large  room  was  furnished  with  cots  for  those  pa- 
tients who  must  remain  at  the  hospital.  Diaz  se- 
cured the  services  of  five  of  the  best  physicians  and 
surgeons,  who  entered  into  the  work  with  enthusi- 
asm. From  twenty  to  thirty  patients  were  treated 
daily.  Thus  the  first  woman's  hospital  in  this  city 
of  a  quarter  of  a  million  inhabitants  was  opened, 
and  proved  successful,  not  only  from  a  medical 
standpoint,  but  as  affording  many  opportunities  for 
teaching  the  gospel. 

The  Baptists  of  Cuba  began  to  enjoy  greater 
freedom,  persecution  almost  entirely  ceased,  and 
the  authorities,  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  treated 
them  with  unwonted  consideration  and  respect. 
The  kindly  feeling  of  the  government  was  mani- 
fested by  the  fact  that  Baptist  church  property  was 
put  on  the  same  basis  with  property  belonging  to 
the  established  church.  The  attitude  of  the  public 
toward  the  Baptist  mission  in  Havana  proved  that 
it  commanded  attention,  sympath}^  and  respect. 
The  rapid  increase  of  the  work  demanded  more 
missionaries.  New  converts  must  be  visited  and 
guided  in   the  new  paths,  and  candidates  for  bap- 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  38 1 

tism  must  be  watched  over  and  instructed.  No 
other  Cubans  were  available,  and  the  Board  de- 
cided to  send  an  American  to  Havana.  Rev.  E. 
Pendleton  Jones  was  appointed,  but  after  spending 
the  winter  of  1893 -1894  on  the  island,  his  physi- 
cian advised  him  to  return  to  the  United  States. 

When  Cuba's  struggle  for  freedom  began,  there 
were  on  the  island  about  two  thousand  eight  hundred 
church-members.  Diaz  had  charge  of  the  central 
church  in  Havana,  with  a  membership  of  more  than 
a  thousand.  The  second  church  was  presided 
over  by  Rev.  J.  R.  O'Halloran,  who  had  estab- 
lished two  missions  before  his  ordination  to  the 
ministry.  He  had  a  fine  congregation  and  excel- 
lent day  and  Sunday-schools.  Rev.  J.  V.  Cova 
had  charge  of  the  third  church,  located  in  the  Pilar 
district.  It  had  two  hundred  members  and  a  large 
school.  The  San  Miguel  church,  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  members,  with  a  very  good  school,  was 
in  charge  of  Rev.  Francis  P.  Bueno.  This  body 
of  believers  owned  a  little  wooden  building  built  by 
themselves.  Other  earnest  workers,  not  in  charge 
of  churches,  were  J.  M.  Porta,  Paul  Valdes,  and  M. 
Calejo.  A  number  of  consecrated  women  also 
gave  their  time  and  strength  to  missionary  work. 
Notable  among  these  were  Diaz'  wife  and  mother, 
also  his  sisters,  Misses  Minnie  and  Clotilda,  the 
wife,  mother,  and  daughter  of  Mr.  Cova,  Mrs. 
O'Halloran,  Mrs.  Bueno,  Miss  Josephine  Bethen- 


382     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

court,  and  Miss  Julia  Lozano.  An  enlargement  of 
the  work  was  in  contemplation  when  the  revolt 
against  Spanish  rule  began  to  interfere  seriously 
with  its  progress. 

The  appointment  of  General  Weyler  to  succeed 
General  Campos  as  commander  of  the  Spanish 
army  in  Cuba  spread  terror  throughout  the  city, 
and  many  of  the  church-members  either  went  into 
the  interior  or  left  the  island.  As  the  year  1896, 
advanced,  one  after  another  of  the  missionaries 
was  forced  to  leave  the  island  ;  but  flight  meant  a 
change  of  field,  for  they  lost  no  time  in  beginning 
work  among  their  countrymen  in  the  United 
States.  It  had  previously  been  arranged  that,  if 
obliged  to  leave  the  island,  Mr.  Cova  should  go  to 
Tampa,  and  Mr.  O'Halloran  to  Key  West,  and 
open  work  among  the  thousands  of  Cubans  in 
those  cities.  A  year  previous  Diaz  had  inaugu- 
rated the  Red  Cross  work  for  the  benefit  of  the 
soldiers  on  both  sides.  For  a  time  it  met  with 
the  approval  of  the  government  and  he  was  able 
to  carry  it  on  unmolested.  Even  after  he  was 
compelled  to  give  up  the  Red  Cross  work  Diaz 
remained  on  the  island  until  the  other  missionaries 
had  gone.  He  was  preparing  to  leave  when  he 
was  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison  on  the  night 
of  April  15,  1896.  As  soon  as  the  news  reached 
the  Home  Board,  vigorous  measures  were  under- 
taken for  his  release.      In  this  crisis  his  American 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  383 

citizenship  was  a  mighty  safeguard.  Stimulated 
by  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  the  United  States 
government  took  prompt  action  and  Diaz  was  re- 
leased April  22.  His  identification  with  the  cause 
of  Cuban  independence  rendered  it  expedient  that 
for  the  sake  of  the  Baptist  property  in  Havana 
his  connection  with  the  Board  should  be  severed. 
He  labored  for  a  time  under  the  auspices  of  the 
American  Baptist  Publication  Society  in  Mexico, 
and,  when  the  war  broke  out  between  the  United 
States  and  Spain,  went  with  the  invading  army 
into  Cuba. 

Mr.  Cova's  work  among  the  fifteen  thousand 
Cubans  in  Tampa  was  very  successful,  though  at 
first  beset  with  many  difficulties.  He  organized  a 
Sunday-school,  which  increased  to  an  attendance  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty,  while  the  free  day  school 
had  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen  scholars.  A 
no  less  important  work  was  the  formation  of  a 
committee  for  the  relief  of  the  unfortunate  and 
starving  Cuban  refugees.  This  committee  fed  as 
many  as  seven  hundred  persons  twice  a  day,  be- 
sides providing  clothing  and  medicine  for  a  large 
number.  The  work  grew  rapidly,  the  mission 
house  was  soon  too  small  to  hold  the  audiences, 
and  almost  every  meeting  witnessed  conversions. 
Mr.  Calejo  shared  Mr.  Cova's  labors,  opening  a 
mission  in  West  Tampa.  Messrs.  O'Halloran  and 
Bueno  conducted  a  successful  work  in  Key  West. 


384     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 

The  Cuban  chapel  built  by  the  Home  Board  some 
years  before  was  used  as  a  day  school  and  a  place 
of  worship,  and  numbers  of  the  exiles  were 
brought  under  the  teaching  of  the  gospel.  As 
soon  as  peace  was  declared  Mr.  O'Halloran  sailed 
for  Santiago  to  resume  mission  work  on  the  island 
of  Cuba. 

Suffering  and  privation  were  the  lot  of  the  Bap- 
tists of  Havana  during  the  war,  but  through  it  all 
Sunday-schools,  weekly  prayer  meetings,  and  Sun- 
day services  were  maintained.  The  devoted 
women  of  the  churches  were  unflagging  in  their 
interest,  and  not  only  maintained  the  work  but 
promoted  its  progress.  In  this  time  of  stress  and 
trial  only  one  of  those  closely  associated  with  the 
mission  was  called  to  rest  from  his  labors.  Dr. 
Edward  Belot,  the  valued  agent  of  the  Board. 
Doctor  Belot  had  represented  the  Board  for  a  long 
time,  and  under  trying  circumstances,  his  services 
being  a  freewill  offering  to  Baptist  missions  in 
Cuba. 

As  soon  as  peace  with  Spain  was  concluded  the 
Cuban  missionaries  became  anxious  to  return  to 
the  island.  On  September  5,  1898,  Mr.  O'Hallo- 
ran and  his  wife  landed  in  Santiago,  and  amid 
many  privations  and  trials  entered  upon  the  work. 
He  found  an  enthusiastic  helper  in  Rev.  D.  H. 
Parker,  a  chaplain  in  the  United  States  army. 
At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Mr.  Parker,  he  went 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  385 

to  Guantanamo  to  hold  a  meeting.  A  number  of 
people  gathered  in  the  afternoon  for  the  service. 
Mr.  O'Halloran  read  the  story  of  Philip  and  the 
eunuch  and  preached  by  comment.  In  response 
to  his  thrilling  appeal  to  make  confession  of  sin 
and  accept  Christ,  twenty  arose,  sixteen  of  whom 
were  baptized  at  sunset.  At  the  evening  service 
these  sixteen  were  organized  into  a  church,  a 
preacher  was  ordained,  and  the  Lord's  Supper 
administered.  The  doors  of  the  church  were 
opened  and  twenty-seven  candidates  were  received 
for  baptism.  Mr.  O'Halloran  also  organized  a 
church  in  Santiago,  and  was  prosecuting  his  work 
most  successfully  when,  by  the  action  of  the  con- 
ference between  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mis- 
sion Society  and  the  Home  Mission  Board,  the 
province  of  Santiago  was  transferred  to  the  former 
society.  The  church  in  Santiago  was  turned  over 
to  Mr.  H.  R.  Moseley,  the  representative  of  the 
Home  Mission  Society,  and  Mr.  O'Halloran  was 
removed  to  the  equally  promising  field  of  Cien- 
fuegos.  The  terms  of  the  agreement  entered 
into  by  the  conference  designated  that  the  Home 
Mission  Society  should  prosecute  its  work  in 
Porto  Rico  and  two  provinces  of  Cuba,  while  the 
Home  Board  should  confine  its  efforts  to  the  re- 
maining provinces  of  Cuba. 

In  November,  1898,  a  committee  from  the  Home 
Board  consisting  of  the  corresponding  secretary. 


386     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF   S.     B.    CONVENTION 

Doctor  Tichenor,  Hon.  Porter  King,  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  Cuba,  and  Dr.  E.  L.  Connelly, 
visited  Cuba  to  investigate  the  mission  interests. 
They  found  the  mission  on  the  whole  in  an  encour- 
aging condition,  and  were  able  to  suggest  remedies 
for  some  evils  which  had  arisen  during  the  period 
of  lawlessness.  They  found  an  attendance  of  five 
hundred  at  the  Sunday  evening  service  in  the 
Gethsemane  Church.  In  the  two  months  previous 
Diaz  had  baptized  fifty  converts,  many  of  whom 
had  professed  conversion  prior  to  his  return  to 
Cuba,  and  could  be  looked  upon  as  the  fruits  of  the 
seed-sowing  done  by  the  faithful  men  and  women 
who  carried  on  the  work  throughout  the  war. 
While  the  committee  was  in  Cuba  Diaz  resigned 
the  pastorate  of  the  Gethsemane  Church  because 
the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  in  whose 
employ  he  was,  advised  him  that  it  could  not  con- 
tinue its  relations  with  him  as  the  regular  pastor 
of  a  church,  as  it  was  contrary  to  its  rules.  At 
the  suggestion  of  the  committee  action  on  the 
resignation  was  deferred,  and  after  consultation 
with  Diaz,  the  committee  explained  to  the  church 
that  it  expected  to  recommend  to  the  Board  the 
payment  of  a  large  part  of  Diaz'  salary  as  pastor, 
if  certain  matters  of  detail  could  be  adjusted.  As 
the  Board  could  not  afford  to  pay  him  as  much  as 
he  was  getting  from  the  Publication  Society,  the 
church  was   called  on  to  know  if  it  would   raise 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  387 

the  difference,  and  also  pay  a  part  of  all  its  inci- 
dental expenses.  No  definite  pledge  was  made, 
but  the  church  promised  to  contribute  all  it  could, 
and  there  was  unanimous  desire  for  Diaz'  reten- 
tion. In  the  correspondence  which  followed  some 
misapprehension  arose  on  the  part  of  the  church 
in  regard  to  the  proposition  from  the  Board. 
Doctor  Tichenor  and  Mr.  King  again  visited  Cuba, 
and  laid  before  a  committee  from  the  church  the 
grievances  the  Board  had  experienced  in  conse- 
quence of  the  church's  appeal  to  various  bodies 
in  the  United  States  asking  their  approval  of  its 
course.  After  a  frank  discussion  of  the  situation, 
the  misapprehensions  were  cleared  away  and  the 
proposals  of  the  Board,  with  some  slight  modifica- 
tions, were  accepted. 

The  present  outlook  in  Cuba  is  encouraging. 
Mr.  Cova  is  doing  excellent  work  at  Matanzas. 
He  has  a  fine  congregation  of  intelligent,  well-to- 
do  people  and  has  frequent  baptisms.  Mr.  Cova 
is  a  scholarly  and  able  preacher,  and  has  done  ex- 
cellent service  in  the  translation  and  circulation 
of  tracts  and  other  literature.  In  the  autumn  of 
1899  Mr.  Cova  baptized  Mr.  Cabrera,  a  Methodist 
preacher,  whose  views  had  undergone  a  change. 
Mr.  Cabrera  is  now  in  charge  of  a  mission  at 
Santa  Clara,  and  is  well  spoken  of  by  all  who 
know  him.  Through  Mr.  Cabrera's  influence  an- 
other   Methodist  of    twenty-nine    years'  standing 


388     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

was  brought  to  the  Baptist  faith,  Mr.  Angel  True- 
bano,  a  Bible  colporter  and  an  exhorter  in  the 
Methodist  church,  an  American  citizen,  and  a  man 
of  some  culture.  As  he  studied  the  Bible  the 
conviction  forced  itself  upon  him  that  infant  bap- 
tism was  not  valid,  and  hearing  that  Mr.  Cova  had 
discussed  the  subject  at  prayer  meeting,  he  prayed 
Mr.  Cabrera  to  take  him  to  him  for  a  discussion  of 
the  question.  The  scriptural  basis  for  rejecting 
infant  baptism  was  explained  to  him,  showing  that 
faith,  regeneration,  and  conversion  must  precede 
baptism.  When  the  exhortation  of  Ananias  to 
Saul  was  read,  "And  now  why  tarriest  thou  .'*  arise 
and  be  baptized,"  the  man  started  up  and  cried 
out,  "  I  will.  All  my  doubts  have  vanished.  I 
see  all  clear,  through  divine  grace.  I  mean  to  be 
baptized  straightway."  As  Mr.  Cova  quaintly  said, 
on  that  very  day  he  was  buried  in  the  waters  of 
obedience.  Mr.  Truebano  had  been  preaching  for 
some  time  in  a  private  house  in  Havana,  and  had 
received  as  candidates  for  church-membership  about 
forty  persons,  who  he  said  would  be  taught  to 
confess  Christ  by  receiving  what  he  now  knew  to 
be  Christian  baptism. 

Mr.  O  Halloran  at  this  writing  is  conducting  a 
flourishing  work  in  Cienfuegos,  besides  overlook- 
ing the  work  at  Santa  Clara.  He  is  an  enthusiastic, 
evangelistic  preacher  and  a  man  of  wonderful  zeal 
and  energy.     He  is  very  successful  in  soul-win- 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  389 

ning,  and  reported  for  the  year  1899  one  hundred 
and  thirty-four  baptisms.  His  chapel  is  packed  to 
overflowing  at  the  services,  and  a  more  convenient 
house  is  greatly  needed.  His  wife  is  his  valuable 
assistant.  The  mission  at  Sagua  La  Grande,  one 
of  the  most  aristocratic  and  cultured  cities  on  the 
island,  is  in  charge  of  Dr.  E.  F.  Rodriguez,  a 
prominent  practising  physician.  Doctor  Rodri- 
guez is  a  man  of  superior  intellectual  and  social 
gifts  and  a  consecrated  Christian.  He  was  bap- 
tized by  Mr.  O'Halloran  about  two  years  ago,  and 
was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  January,  1900. 
He  renders  most  efficient  services  as  pastor  and 
superintendent  of  the  mission  without  any  com- 
pensation from  the  Board.  At  Havana  Doctor 
Diaz  labored  with  fourteen  assistants,  broadening 
out  his  work  toward  the  cities  and  towns  contigu- 
ous to  Havana  and  reporting  frequent  baptisms. 
The  Gethsemane  Church  continues  to  be  the  cen- 
ter of  this  work.  Ten  stations  for  schools  and 
Sunday-schools  well  located  in  different  parts 
of  the  city  are  maintained  in  connection  with  it. 
In  the  autumn  of  1901  Doctor  Diaz  resigned  from 
the  service  of  the  Board.  While  this  indefatig- 
able, earnest  man  may  be  no  longer  in  the  employ 
of  the  Board,  it  is  probable  that  he  will  remain  in 
Christian  work  in  Havana,  and  it  is  hoped  that  he 
will  continue  to  be  a  power  for  the  maintenance 
of  Christian  Baptist  principles  in  his  native  land. 


390     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

In  the  year  1900  the  Board  made  a  new  depar- 
ture by  appointing  two  women  missionaries  to  Cuba. 
These,  Miss  Mary  Taylor,  of  Florida,  and  Miss 
Adalee  Branham,  of  Missouri,  are  supported  by 
the  women  of  their  respective  States.  January, 
1901,  found  them  in  the  city  of  Havana  acquiring 
the  language,  teaching  in  the  mission  schools,  and 
carrying  the  gospel  message  from  house  to  house. 
For  some  time  the  Board  had  felt  that  it  was  es- 
sential to  the  best  interests  of  the  work  in  Cuba 
to  have  at  least  one  American  in  connection  with 
the  mission,  .The  number  of  English-speaking 
people  in  Havana  demanded  one  who  could  preach 
in  English.  There  was  also  urgent  need  of  a  man 
understanding  both  English  and  Spanish  who  could 
be  in  close  touch  with  our  own  people  and  also 
with  the  native  Christians  on  the  island.  The 
man  was  found  in  Rev,  C.  D.  Daniel,  of  Texas, 
who  was  for  five  years  an  employee  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  in  Brazil,  and  after  his  return  la- 
bored among  the  Mexicans  in  Texas,  Mr.  Daniel 
is  an  experienced  worker,  and  entered  upon  his 
work  highly  recommended  by  his  former  colleagues 
in  Brazil  and  Texas.  After  visiting  the  island 
Mr.  Daniel  reported  that  in  his  opinion  the  great- 
est need  of  the  work  was  a  chapel  at  every  one  of 
the  mission  stations.  His  report  is  corroborated 
by  the  independent  testimony  of  every  one  of  the 
native  missionaries. 


THE    CUBAN    MISSION  39 1 

Cordial  relations  exist  between  the  Board  and 
the  brethren  and  sisters  in  Havana,  and  the  work 
seems  to  be  re-established  on  a  firm  and  satisfac- 
tory basis,  though  American  occupation  of  Cuba 
has  not  been  wholly  helpful  to  missionary  effort.  The 
strained  relations  between  the  Unites  States  gov- 
ernment and  the  people  of  the  island  have  ren- 
dered less  efficient  the  efforts  of  the  missionaries 
to  reach  the  people  with  the  gospel.  Until  the 
questions  at  issue  are  settled  the  missionaries  must 
work  and  wait  patiently.  Legally  Cuba  is  now  as 
open  to  the  gospel  as  our  own  land.  We  have 
freed  her  from  the  yoke  of  Spain,  shall  we  not 
with  redoubled  patience,  and  energy,  and  enthusi- 
asm endeavor  to  free  the  souls  of  her  people  from 
the  more  pernicious  and  deadly  despotism  of  Roman 
Catholicism  ? 


XVII 

CLOSING    WORDS 

IN  reviewing  the  history  of  the  Convention  no 
period  excites  more  interest  than  the  first 
twenty  years  of  its  existence.  The  sense  of  self- 
dependence  engendered  by  the  separation  from 
their  Northern  brethern  aroused  Southern  Bap- 
tists to  the  consideration  of  their  own  resources, 
which  they  found  ample  to  inaugurate  and  prose- 
cute a  great  and  ever-widening  work.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  the  growth  of  interest  and  consequent 
increase  of  contributions,  it  is  noteworthy  that  in 
1849  the  Domestic  Mission  Board  received  about 
$9,500,  while  in  1859  the  contributions  amounted 
to  almost  three  times  as  much,  something  over 
$28,400.  Contributions  to  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board  in  1846  amounted  to  $1 1,700,  while  $39,800 
was  received  in  1859. 

Amid  the  strife  and  desolation  of  the  Civil  War 
this  period  of  the  Convention's  history  closed. 
The  Foreign  Mission  Board  was  greatly  crippled 
in  its  operations,  but  the  devotion  and  sacrifice  of 
some  of  the  missionaries  and  of  loyal  brethren  in 
Maryland  and  Kentucky  averted  disaster.  The 
392 


CLOSING   WORDS  393 

Domestic  Mission  Board,  cut  off  almost  entirely 
from  other  avenues  of  usefulness,  devoted  its  at- 
tention chiefly  to  the  soldiers  in  the  Southern 
armies,  where  a  successful  work  was  accom- 
plished. 

The  Convention  passed  through  the  darkest 
period  of  its  history  during  the  years  after  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War.  Poverty  and  distress  fol- 
lowed in  the  wake  of  desolation.  "  Almost  every- 
thing was  destroyed  except  the  courage  of  the 
people."  In  the  struggle  going  on  everywhere  for 
the  necessities  of  life,  it  was  natural  that  religious 
interests  should  suffer.  Church  buildings  had 
been  dismantled  through  military  occupancy  or 
the  violence  of  the  conflict,  and  in  many  cases  it 
was  doubtful  whether  it  would  ever  be  possible 
to  restore  them.  In  this  period  of  uncertainty 
and  anxiety  colored  Baptists  retired  from  the 
churches  of  their  white  brethren.  This  separa- 
tion was  inevitable  and  was  accomplished  with 
mutual  good-will.  The  trials  and  repression  of 
the  era  of  reconstruction  followed  close  on  the 
desolation  and  distress  of  war.  The  ten  years  of 
confusion  entailed  by  the  policy  followed  brought 
upon  the  Southern  people  privations  and  anxieties 
scarcely  less  than  those  they  endured  during  the 
years  of  conflict.  In  the  midst  of  the  struggle 
against  adverse  circumstances  the  South  had  to 
meet  the  financial  panic  which  overtook  the  coun- 


394     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

try  in  1873,  and  whose  results  were  felt  keenly 
for  several  years. 

The  desire  for  change,  however  great  the  un- 
certainty as  to  its  beneficent  results,  always  fol- 
lows a  long  period  of  depression.  This  desire 
took  possession  of  Southern  Baptists,  and  various 
plans  were  proposed  to  alter  the  existing  methods 
of  work.  At  this  time  the  Domestic  Mission 
Board  passed  through  the  crisis  of  its  history. 
Several  of  the  States  organized  mission  Boards  to 
care  for  their  own  territory,  and  some  State  Con- 
ventions passed  resolutions  by  which  the  Board 
should  be  excluded  from  their  boundaries,  while 
other  States  entered  into  co-operation  with  other 
Societies  situated  in  other  sections  of  the  country. 
The  suggestion  of  merging  it  into  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  was  made  as  early  as  1871  on  the 
plea  that  it  would  be  more  economical  to  maintain 
a  single  Board,  which  should  prosecute  both  home 
and  foreign  missions.  Though  the  suggestion 
was  defeated,  the  discussion  incident  to  it  did  not 
promote  the  vigor  of  the  Board. 

The  outlook  was  a  gloomy  one.  Disintegrating 
forces  were  everywhere  at  work  and  threatened 
the  very  existence  of  the  Convention.  The  most 
momentous  controversy  in  the  history  of  the  Con- 
vention was  waged  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  in  1879,  when 
an  impressive  preamble  and  two  resolutions  were 
proposed,  which,    though    couched    in    diplomatic 


CLOSING    WORDS  395 

terms,  were  generally  understood  to  relate  mainly 
to  the  question  of  "preserving  our  separate  or- 
g-anization."  The  matter  was  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee  of  one  from  each  State,  and,  when  it  came 
up  for  discussion,  Dr.  John  A.  Broadus,  of  Ken- 
tucky, moved  to  strike  out  the  two  resolutions. 
After  a  debate  which  lasted  throughout  the  day, 
the  motion  was  carried  and  an  amended  resolution 
was  substituted,  as  follows  : 

Resolved,  That  five  brethren  be  appointed  by  this  Con- 
vention to  bear  to  our  Baptist  brethren  of  the  Northern 
States,  at  their  approaching  anniversaries,  expressions  of 
our  fraternal  regard  and  assurances  that,  while  holding 
firmly  to  the  wisdom  and  policy  of  preserving  our  separate 
organizations,  we  are  ready,  as  in  the  past,  to  co-operate 
cordially  with  them  in  promoting  the  cause  of  Christ  in  our 
own  and  foreign  lands. 

Again  disaster  was  averted.  The  issue  was 
quietly  closed  and  a  new  era  of  unity  and  vigorous 
life  dawned  upon  the  Convention.  During  this 
period  of  uncertainty  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
was  the  "steadiest  prop  of  the  Convention."  It 
had  always  enlisted  sympathy  and  interest  through- 
out the  South  and  was  thus  enabled  to  exhibit 
remarkable  prosperity.  So  long  as  this  work  re- 
mained intact  it  presented  a  strong  argument  for 
the  continuance  of  the  Convention.  With  the 
year  1880  the  receipts  of  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board  began  to  grow  apace.      Fields  already  occu- 


396     MISSIONARY    WORK    OF    S.    B.    CONVENTION 

pied  were  reinforced  and  improved,  while  missions 
were  undertaken  in  fields  hitherto  unoccupied, 
and  foreign  missions  became  yet  more  firmly  en- 
trenched in  the  hearts  of  Southern  Baptists.  The 
years  1892- 1893  witnessed  the  enthusiasm  and 
greatly  enlarged  contributions  of  the  Carey  Cen- 
tennial of  Modern  Missions,  in  the  strength  of 
which  a  hundred  new  missionaries  were  sent  out 
by  the  Foreign  Mission  Board.  High-water  mark 
was  reached  and  the  Home  and  Foreign  Boards 
felt  the  inevitable  ebb.  The  most  strenuous  effort 
failed  to  meet  the  increased  obligations,  and  the 
Boards  were  hampered  with  debt  until  1898,  when 
both  closed  the  year  with  a  balance  in  the  treasury. 
Contributions  to  both  Boards  have  steadily  in- 
creased since  1898.  The  Foreign  Board  has 
greatly  enlarged  its  missionary  force,  and  the 
Home  Board  has  been  enabled  to  extend  the  work 
already  established  and  to  enter  new  fields  of  use- 
fulness. 

Looking  back  over  fifty-six  years  of  missionary 
effort,  and  remembering  all  the  way  by  which  the 
Lord  has  led  them,  Southern  Baptists  can  say 
with  grateful  hearts,  "  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord 
helped  us."  Looking  forward,  the  new  century 
beckons  with  ever-widening  opportunities:  "Ask 
of  me  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine 
inheritance  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
for  thy  possession." 


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MISSIONARIES    OF    S.     B.    CONVENTION 


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LIST  OF  AUTHORITIES  CONS  ULTED 


"Minutes  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,"  from  1845 
to  1901. 

"Foreign  Missions  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention," 
Tupper. 

"A  Decade  of  Foreign  Missions,"  Tupper. 

"A  History  of  the  Baptists  in  the  Southern  States  East  of 
the  Mississippi,"  Riley. 

"A  History  of  American  Baptist  Missions,"  Merriam. 

"The  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Conven- 
tion,  1 845-1 885,"  J.  Lansing  Burrows. 

"Historical  Discourse   on   the  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,"  W.  H.  Whitsitt. 

Leaflets  from  Baptist  Mission  Rooms,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Foreign  Mission  Journals,  Richmond,  Va. 

Our  Home  Fields,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Pamphlets  and  Other  Sources. 


GENERAL  INDEX 


Africa :  imploring  aid  for  mis- 
sions, 148;  large  portions  un- 
touched by  gospel,  149 ;  interior 
of,  explored  by  Mr.  Phillips,  150; 
work  in,  pointed  out  by  Mr. 
Yates,  151 ;  attention  of  Mission 
Board  called  to,  154  ;  Mr.  Bowen 
exploring  interior  of,  156 ;  spe- 
cial interest  awakened  in,  157  ; 
petty  wars  in,  162 ;  appeals  for 
missionaries  to,  168 ;  twelve 
years'  work  in,  169 ;  stirring  ap- 
peal for,  170 ;  sad  losses  con- 
nected with  missions  to,  180. 

Alabama:  resolutions,  known  as, 
4 ;  convention  of,  in  correspond- 
ence, 5;  convention  of,  address- 
ing inquiry,  6 ;  joining  in  wom- 
en's work,  19  ;  Baptist  Bible  So- 
ciety of,  27. 

Board,  Bible :  organized,  12, 24  ;  en- 
listing in  arduous  task,  25;  aim 
of,  25,  26 :  States  co-operating 
with,  26;  receipts  of,  small,  26; 
instructions  of  Convention  to, 
27 ;  affected  by  Civil  War,  28 ; 
contracting  for  Bibles,  28;  dis- 
solution of,  29. 

Board,  Foreign  Mission :  prod- 
ucts of,  10  ;  recommending  com- 
mittees in  women's  work,  14  ;  at- 
tention of.  called  to  China,  43  ; 
opening  mission  at  Shanghai, 
79;  first  to  hold  property  in  in- 
terior of  China,  86  ;  and  north 
China,  112;  differences  of,  with 
Doctor  Crawford,  131,  132;  and 
plans  of  missionaries,  133 ;    en- 


tering on  work  in  Liberia,  144  ; 
authorizing  schools  at  Monro- 
via, 146 ;  establishing  a  mission 
at  Sierra  Leone,  147 ;  resump- 
tion of  work  of,  in  Liberia  after 
Civil  War,  149 ;  attention  of, 
called  to  Yoruba,  154  ;  appealing 
for  funds  for  Yoruba,  164  ;  at- 
tention of,  called  to  Italy,  181 ; 
accepting  Doctor  Cote,  181 ;  dis- 
continuing services  of  Doctor 
Cote,  186  ;  looking  toward  Cen- 
tral and  South  America,  213 ; 
appointing  missionaries  to  Bra- 
zil, 214  ;  Mr.  Flournoy  appointed 
by,  missionary  to  Mexico,  247  ; 
enlarging  its  work  in  Mexico, 
270;  requested  to  look  at  Japan, 
272 ;  held  back  by  Civil  War, 
272 ;  instructed  by  Convention  to 
begin  work  in  Japan,  273;  co-op- 
erating with  Missionary  Union 
in  Japan,  273.  274  ;  attention  of, 
directed  to  Cuba,  361 ;  enlarging 
missionary  force,  396. 
Board,  Home  Mission :  encoun- 
tering vicissitudes,  10;  removed 
to  Atlanta,  11 ;  absorbing  Indian 
Mission  Board,  11;  women's 
work  suggested  by,  19 ;  loan 
fund  of,  securing  gifts  from  wom- 
en, 22;  vast  field  assigned  to, 
283  ;  efforts  of,  hampered,  284  ; 
results  from  work  of,  284 ;  im- 
portance of  evangelizing  cities 
emphasized  by,  285 ;  carry- 
ing out  instructions  of  Con- 
vention in  New  Orleans,  287 ; 
making  effort  to  pay  indebted- 
405 


4o6 


GENERAL    INDEX 


ness  in  Coliseum  Place  Church, 
288 ;  work  of,  retarded  by  yel- 
low fever,  289  ;  entering  Califor- 
nia field,  290,  291 ;  relieved  by 
self-supporting  churches,  291 ; 
work  of,  suspended  by  war,  292  ; 
entering  on  army  work,  292, 293  ; 
notable  men  engaged  by,  for 
army  work,  29^ ;  discourage- 
ment and  help  for,  294,  295 ;  ex- 
tent of  work  by,  iu  army,  294 ; 
expending  much  money  in  New 
Orleans,  295;  regaining  its  foot- 
ing after  Civil  War,  296;  its 
darkest  period,  296,  297 ;  epi- 
demic hindering  work  of,  297  ; 
report  of,  to  Convention,  297 ; 
renewed  work  by,  in  New  Or- 
leans, 299,  300  ;  removal  of,  301 ; 
instructed  by  Convention  as  to 
extending  aid,  301 ;  establishing 
Building  Loan  Fund,  302,  303; 
fortieth  annual  report  of,  best 
in  its  history,  304 ;  important 
work  of,  in  mountain  regions, 
305,  306 ;  extension  of  work  of, 
306;  maintaining  close  relations 
to  State  Boards,  307 ;  a  review 
of,  work  of,  308;  efforts  of, 
blessed  in  North  Carolina,  309 ; 
complications  in  work  of, 
310:  faithful  efforts  of,  311;  in- 
structed by  Convention  as  to 
work  among  Negroes,  312 ;  de- 
sirous of  aiding  Negroes  up- 
ward, 318;  co-operating  with 
Home  Mission  Society,  319  ;  con- 
centrating on  Negro  instruction, 
320 ;  employing  colored  mission- 
aries, 321 ;  agreeing  with  Home 
Home  Mission  Society  at  Fort- 
ress Monroe,  323-325  ;  assuming 
expense  of  schools  among  Ne- 
gro women,  327 ;  finding  work 
in  California  difficult  and  aban- 
doning it,  332;  conducting  work 
among  Germans  in  conjunction 
with  State  Boards,  336 ;  planting 


mission  in  south  St.  Louis,  336  -, 
Indian  work  transferred  to,  340 ; 
indebtedness  assumed  by,  341 ; 
appeal  to,  from  Choctaws,  342; 
resumnig  work  among  Indians 
after  Civil  War,  349 ;  assuming 
work  among  the  Seminoles,  351, 
352 ;  encountering  complications 
in  Indian  Territory,  359,  360; 
reaching  adju^tment  with  Home 
Mission  Society,  360 ;  Cuba  placed 
under  care  of,  368 ;  sending  com- 
mittee to  Cuba,  385,  386  ;  appoint- 
ing women  missionaries  to  Cuba, 
390  ;  prosperity  for,  396. 

Board,  Sunday-school  and  Publica- 
tion :  organized,  12,  29 ;  encoun- 
tering  ditticulties,  30 ;  Doctoi 
Broadus  secured  as  Secretary  of, 
30 ;  and  American  Bible  Society, 
31 ;  first  publications  of,  32 ; 
securing  earnest  workers,  32 ; 
more  active  operations  of,  33; 
depleted  treasury  of,  33;  Dr. 
C.  C.  Bitting  made  secretary 
of,  34 ;  issuing  hymn  books,  35; 
uniting  with  Sabbath-school 
Union,  35 ;  united  to  Domestic 
Board,  36;  changed  to  Sunday- 
school  Board,  38 ;  Doctor  Frost 
made  secretary  of,  38,  39;  Doc- 
tor Bell  secretary  of,  39;  intro- 
ducing Home  Department,  40; 
publications  of,  40;  a  mission- 
ary organization,  41. 

Broadus,  Dr.  ,T.  A. :  secretary  of 
Sunday-school  Board,  30;  en- 
gaging in  army  work,  294  ;  avert- 
ing disaster  from  Convention, 
395. 

Bushyhead,  Rev.  John,  retire- 
ment of  as  missionary,  3. 

Canton:  house  of  worship  at,  45; 
Messrs.  Clopton  and  Pearcy  mis- 
sionaries at,  45 ;  mission  opened 
at,  46 ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whildin 
sent    to,   47 ;    opportunities   to 


GENERAL    INDEX 


407 


reach  students  at,  52 ;  work  of 
Doctor  Graves  at,  49-54 ;  mission 
at,  severely  tried,  59;  additional 
missionaries  landed  at,  60 ;  be- 
reaved by  loss  of  Doctor  Graves, 
61  ;  Doctor  Mabie  visits  Doctor 
Graves  at,  63 ;  Doctor  Graves 
again  leaves,  66 ;  Chow  Leung 
pastor  of  church  at,  74. 

Colver,  Nathaniel,  opposing  Doc- 
tor Fuller's  resolution,  2. 

Convention,  Southern  Baptist :  or- 
ganized, IS;  its  expressed  pur- 
pose, 9 ;  changes  from  Triennial 
Convention,  9  ;  reluctance  of,  to 
engage  in  distinct  Bible  work, 
23  ;  instructing  Bible  Board,  27  ; 
inquiring  into  the  union  of  Bible 
Board  with  Southern  Publica- 
tion Society,  28 ;  visited  by  Chi- 
nese missionaries,  44 ;  designat- 
ing missionaries,  87  ;  meeting  of, 
in  1874,  98;  entering  on  corre- 
spondence as  to  work  in  Liberia, 
144  ;  authorizing  mission  to  Bra- 
zil, 214  ;  encouraged  by  reports 
from  Brazil,  217;  Brazil  most 
fruitful  field  of,  245  ;  decision  of, 
to  open  mission  in  Mexico,  246 ; 
missions  of,  in  Mexico  consoli- 
dated, 258;  deciding  to  enlarge 
its  work  in  Mexico,  269 ;  in- 
structing Board  as  to  Japan,  273  ; 
interested  in  New  Orleans,  286; 
directing  Home  Board  to  work 
in  California,  290  ;  spirit  of  prog- 
ress in,  291 ;  Home  Board's  re- 
port to,  297  ;  attention  of,  again 
called  to  New  Orleans,  298;  in- 
structing Home  Board  as  to 
church  building  loan  fund,  302, 
303  ;  instructing  Home  Board  as 
to  State  Boards,  307  ;  instructing 
Board  of  Domestic  Missions  as 
to  Negroes,  312:  adopting  report 
on  Negro  work,  324,  325;  work 
in  California  outside  of  the  ter- 
Titory  of,  332 ;  receiving  proposi- 


tion to  take  Indian  work,  340; 
establishing  manual  training 
school  among  Creeks,  352,  3.53 ; 
assuming  work  in  Cuba,  368; 
work  of,  reviewed,  392 ;  its  dark- 
est period,  393;  disintegration 
of,  threatened ,  394 ;  disaster 
averted  from,  395  ;  strong  argu- 
ment for,  395. 

Convention,  Triennial :  resolution 
offered  in,  2 ;  last  meeting  of, 
3;  attitude  toward  slavery,  4; 
States  going  from,  8;  change 
from,  in  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention, 9;  sending  first  mis- 
sionary to  China,  42. 

Cote,  Dr.  \V.  N. :  accepted  as  mis- 
sionary, liSl  ;  went  as  Protestant 
missionary  to  Rome,  181 ;  work 
vigorously  pushed  by,  183  ;  con- 
nection with  Mission  Board 
severed,  186. 

Crawford,  Doctor  and  Mrs,  :  at 
Tungchow,  115 ;  situation  of,  at, 
116  ;  organized  Pai  Tong  Baptist 
Church,  116  :  hard  work  and  lit- 
tle success  for,  126 ;  appeals 
from,  for  help  responded  to, 
128  ;  differences  of,  with  Foreign 
Mission  Board,  131,  132. 

Diaz,  Alberto  J. :  Surrounded  by 
his  enemies,  363 ;  finding  his  way 
to  New  York,  364  ;  converted  and 
baptized,  365,  366;  imprisoned, 
367;  ordained,  36S:  baptizing  his 
mother,  369  ;  acquiring  a  ceme- 
tery, 371 ;  commending  him.self, 
372  ;  persecution  of,  again,  372, 
373;  pastor  of  Gethsemane 
Ciiurch,  377  ;  founds  an  hospital, 
379  ;  thrown  into  prison,  382  ;  ad- 
justing relations,  386 ;  broaden- 
ing work,  389;  present  relations 
of,  389. 

Frost,  Dr.  J.  M. :  reporting  on 
Sunday-school  organization,  37 ; 


4o8 


GENERAL    INDEX 


made  secretary  of  Suuday-school 
Board,  38;  resigned  secretary- 
ship, 39. 
Fuller,  Richard  :  offering  resolu- 
tiou,  2;  and  American  Bible 
Society,  30,  31. 

Hartwell,  Rev.  J.  B. :  settled  at 
Tungchow,  China,  113 ;  at  Shang- 
hai, 115;  opening  a  mission  at 
Hwanghien,  117  ;  services  of,  at 
Tungchow,  117;  wife  of,  intro- 
ducing vaccination,  118 ;  return- 
ing to  America,  120 ;  again  as- 
suming work  in  China,  122; 
removing  to  Chefoo,  123 ;  return- 
ing to  America  again,  123 ;  again 
at  Tungchow,  13G ;  working 
among  Chinese  in  California, 
330,  331. 

Jeter,  Dr.  J.  B. :  on  Bible  distri- 
bution, 24. 

Manly,  Basil,  St.,  author  of  query 
from  Tuscaloosa  Church,  4. 

Mission,  The  South  China:  mis- 
sionaries assigned  to,  43  ;  some 
stations  belonging  to,  5.5,  57,  58  ; 
advance  in  enterprises  of,  63 ; 
results  of,  63 ;  causes  for  rejoic- 
ing in,  64 ;  reasons  for  encour- 
agement regarding,  68  ;  field  of, 
70  ;  reinforcements  to,  70 ;  efforts 
for  self-help  in,  71 ;  mission  boat 
in  connection  with,  71 ;  advance 
all  along  the  line  of,  72 ;  larger 
number  of  baptisms  reported 
from,  75. 

Mission,  Central  China :  opened 
at  Shanghai,  79 ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yates  arriving  at  Shanghai,  79; 
Tai  Ping  rebellion  in  connection 
with,  89;  discouragements  con- 
nected with,  96;  Baptist  church 
organized  at  Soochow,  100;  rein- 
forcements to,  101 ;  claims  of, 
on   North   Carolina,    103 ;    new 


methods  of  work  in,  104 ;  rein- 
forcements to,  105  ;  Baptist  con- 
ference organized  in,  106 ;  school 
work  a  feature  of,  108 ;  valuable 
workers  added  to,  109;  Boxer 
troubles  in  connection  with,  111 ; 
difficulties  of,  111. 

Mission,  North  China  :  established 
at  Tungchow,  113 ;  people  ap- 
pealed to  by,  117 ;  interest-deep- 
ening in  Shantung  province  of, 
118;  rumors  of  coming  troubles 
at,  119 ;  ordination  of  first  native 
minister  in,  120;  reinforcements 
for,  121 ;  owing  much  to  Miss 
Moon,  122;  mission  station  of, 
at  Chefoo,  123  ;  work  progressing 
in  connection  with,  124 ;  perse- 
cution in,  129 :  Tung  Lai  Associ- 
ation organized  in,  130;  loss  of 
missionaries  at,  132 ;  work  crip- 
pled at,  l;W  ;  additions  to,  134 ; 
Chinese-Japanese  war  affecting, 
135 ;  .schools  connected  with, 
137  ;  prosperity  at,  138 ;  Boxer 
disturbance  causes  persecution 
at,  141 ;  prospects  of,  142. 

Mission,  The,  in  Liberia  :  founded, 
144  ;  Lott  Carey  and  Colin  Teague 
sent  to,  144 ;  names  associated 
with,  147 ;  Civil  War  causing 
withdrawal  of  aid  from,  148; 
closed,  152. 

Mission,  The,  in  Yoruba :  estab- 
lished, 155 ;  missionaries  arriv- 
ing at  Lagos  connected  with, 
158;  mission  reinforced,  159; 
sustaining  losses,  160;  hardships 
in  connection  with,  161;  debts 
against  canceled,  163;  trouble 
befalling,  163 ;  appeal  for  men 
for,  165;  the  missions  in,  of  Ab- 
beokuta,  and  Ogbomoshaw,  166, 
167 ;  five  stations  occupied  in 
connection  with,  168  ;  reinforced, 
168;  mission  depleted,  169  ;  bap- 
tisms and  members  at,  173  ;  sus- 
taining losses,   175;  outlook  at 


GENERAL    INDEX 


409 


Lagos  in,  177  ;  valuable  workers 
added  to,  178 ;  institute  lield  at 
Ogbomoshaw,  connected  with, 
179. 

Mission,  The  Italian :  establish- 
ment of,  181,  1S2  ;  noted  baptism 
connected  with,  183;  church 
organized  in  connection  with, 
183  ;  troubles  in  connection  with, 
186  ;  Doctor  Taylor  appointed  for, 
187 ;  valuable  acquisitions  to, 
188  ;  disappointments  in  connec- 
tion with,  189;  new  Roman 
church  organized  in  connection 
with,  190;  monthly  journal  es- 
tablished by,  190 ;  fortunate  in 
securing  workers,  191,  192  ;  mis- 
sion at  Venice  organized  in  con- 
nection with,  191 ;  new  property 
secured  for,  in  Rome,  193  ;  need 
of  chapels  in  connection  with, 
191 ;  Doctor  Eager  sent  to,  195 ; 
has  full  share  of  trials,  196 ; 
Apostolic  Baptist  Union  formed 
in  connection  with,  197  ;  Doctor 
Eager  taking  charge  of  work 
connected  with,  197,  198;  way- 
side opportunities  in  connection 
with,  199;  interesting  work  of, 
200,  201 ;  prosperity  of,  at  Flor- 
ence, 204  ;  cases  of  persecution 
in,  205;  progress  in  connection  1 
with,  206  ;  Doctor  Eager  resign- 
ing connection  with.  207;  Sig- 
uor  Galassi's  work  in  connec- 
tion with,  207,  208  ;  progress  of,  at 
Gravina,  209  ;  responsibilities 
and  opportunities  of,  enlarged, 
210;  latest  additions  to,  211; 
work  in  connection  with,  pre- 
paratory, 212. 

Mission,  The  Brazilian :  opened 
by  Mr.  Bowen,  213  ;  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Brazil  estab- 
lished by,  21-1 ;  additional  mis- 
.sionarles  sent  to,  214  ;  vast  terri- 
tory connected  with,  216 ;  church 
at   Bahia   in    connection    with 


217 ;  establishes  a  center  at  Rio 
Janeiro,  218  ;  reinforcements  ar- 
riving at,  219 ;  territory  of  Minas 
Geraes  opened  for  work  in  con- 
nection witli,  221,  222  ;  change 
in  Brazilian  government  bene- 
fiting, 223 ;  helpfulness  of  its 
missionaries,  224 ;  encourage- 
ment in  its  mission  at  Rio,  225, 
226 ;  welcome  addition  to,  226 ; 
convention  organized  in  con- 
nection with,  228  ;  joy  and  sor- 
row in,  229  ;  printed  page  used 
in  connection  with,  2:30;  perse- 
cution of  Mr.  Ginsburg  in  con- 
nection with,  230,  231  ;  an  im- 
portant convert  for,  232  :  Baptist 
Association  organized  in  con- 
nection with,  233  ;  glorious  har- 
vest in,  234 ;  persecution  at  Per- 
nambuco  coiniected  with,  235, 
236;  growth  in  the  Pernambuco 
station  of,  2:50;  Mr.  Nelson's 
work  in,  237;  Jlr.  Ginsburg's 
success  in,  238 ;  additions  to, 
240  ;  school  work  in,  241  ;  perse- 
cution in,  again,  212;  churches 
in,  in  good  working  order,  244; 
most-  fruitful  field  of  Conven- 
tion, 245. 
Mission,  The  Mexican  :  decision 
of  Convention  to  open,  246  ;  the 
Westrups  connected  with,  246; 
Mr.  Powell  receiving  appoint- 
ment to,  247  ;  Baptist  newspaper 
connected  with,  248;  Madero 
Institute  opened  at  Saltillo  by, 
248-250 ;  additions  to  workers  of, 
250;  unfinished  cathedral  pur- 
chased for,  251 ;  many  changes 
in,  252;  Mr.  Powell's  work  in 
connection  with,  2.54 ;  large  in- 
crease of  missionaries  for,  254, 
255;  seed-sowing  and  harvesting 
in,  256 ;  missions  transferred 
from,  to  Home  Mission  Society 
2.57;  missions  of,  consolidated, 
258;  ditliculties  in,  in  people's 


4IO 


GENERAL    INDEX 


contentment,  259 ;  loss  and  gain 
in,  261 ;  clianges  in  connection 
witli,  262,  203 ;  steady  progress 
in,  263  ;  indifference  of  natives 
as  to  worli  of,  26-1 ;  clianges  and 
advance  in,  265,  266 ;  troubles 
in,  266;  work  among  the  In- 
dians by,  268  ;  new  missionaries 
added  to,  269  ;  meeting  of  Bap- 
tist Association  connected  with, 
270 :  no  great  awakening  in  con- 
nection with,  271. 

Mission,  The  Japanese:  mission- 
aries cippointed  to,  in  1860,  272 ; 
established,  273  ;  Missionary 
Union  and  Foreign  Board  co- 
operating as  to,  273,  274  ;  island 
of  Kiushiu  selected  as  basis  for, 
275 ;  changes  in,  275  ;  first  church 
constituted  in  connection  with, 
275 ;  Japanese  pastor  loaned 
to,  by  Missionary  Union,  276 ; 
schools  established  in  connec- 
tion with,  276 ;  difficulties  en- 
countered by,  277 ;  Japanese 
success  in  Chinese  war  causing 
indifference  to,  278 ;  work  in 
Nagasaki  connected  with,  279; 
activity  among  Christians  in, 
281. 

Mission  among  the  Indians:  no 
new  thing,  340;  covering  large 
territory,  340;  confined  chiefly 
to  Indian  Territory,  341 ;  sought 
by  Choctaws,  342 ;  Association 
of  Choctav(f  churches  formed  in 
connection  with,  343  ;  Rev.  H. 
F.  Buckner  connected  with,  34:^, 
344  ;  missionaries  of,  acquiring 
Indian  language,  344 ;  native 
preachers  connected  with,  314, 
345 ;  John  Jumper  and  Joseph 
Islands  associated  with,  345-348 ; 
law  against,  346 ;  persecutions 
endured  by  members  of,  347,  348  ; 
Civil  War  hindering,  348,  319; 
resumed  after  Civil  War,  349  ; 
comfortable  homes  for  its  mis- 


sionaries supplied,  350 ;  Mr. 
Buckner's  zeal  in  connection 
with,  350,  351 ;  work  of,  among 
Seminoles,  351,  352;  work  by, 
among  the  Creeks,  352,  353 ; 
encouragement  for,  354,  355; 
school  established  by,  amotig 
Choctaws,  355,  356 ;  opened 
among  Kiowas,  356,  357;  wom- 
en's society  organized  by,  358: 
complications  in,  359. 
Mission,  The  Cuban :  contem- 
plated, 361 ;  movements  toward, 
362,  363  ;  Diaz  working  for,  366  ; 
Mr.  Wood  visiting,  367  ;  church 
organized  in  connection  with, 
368;  animosity  of  Rome  against, 
370 ;  working  for  people  in  time 
of  plague,  370;  Mr.  Cova  becom- 
ing attached  to,  373,  374  ;  pur- 
chase of  the  Jan(5  theatre  for, 
376 ;  Gethsemane  Church  dedi- 
cated in  connection  with,  376, 
377 ;  schools  organized  in  con- 
nection with,  378,  379;  churches 
related  to,  381 ;  suffering  in  con- 
nection with,  384 ;  work  re- 
newed, 384,  385. 

Negroes :  interest  of  South  in  re- 
ligious welfare  of,  312  ;  religious 
training  among,  before  the  war, 
313 ;  encouraging  work  among 
them,  314  ;  work  among,  during 
war  abandoned,  315:  preferring 
white  teachers  but  their  own 
churches,  316  ;  mission  work 
among  them  more  difficult,  316, 
317 ;  eager  for  an  education,  317 ; 
institutes  established  among, 
310 ;  eminent  brethren  laboring 
for,  320:  Northern  and  Southern 
co-operation  for,  323-325  ;  growth 
among,  326 ;  their  women  looked 
after,  327. 

New  Orleans  :  Southern  Conven- 
tion interested  in,  286  ;  Coliseum 
Place    Church    established   in, 


GENERAL    INDEX 


411 


288 ;  much  money  expended  in, 
by  Home  Board,  295;  renewed 
efforts  in,  298-300. 

Populations,  Foreign.  The  Chi- 
nese: mission  among,  328;  Mr. 
Shuck  missionary  to,  829  ;  useful 
convert  from,  330 ;  work  among, 
given  up,  332 ;  work  among,  in 
Baltimore,  333.  The  Germans: 
mission  among,  at  Louisville, 
334 ;  missionary  appointed  for, 
at  New  Orleans,  335  ;  mission 
among,  at  St.  Louis,  336 ;  exodus 
from,  to  English  churches,  337  ; 
mission  opened  for,  Oklahoma, 
337  ;  work  among,  not  rapid,  338  ; 
work  among,  in  Baltimore,  338, 
339.    Italians :  work  among,  339. 

Publications :  societies  organized 
for,  27;  first,  of  Sunday-school 
and  Publication  Board,  321. 

Report:  of  committee  at  Provi- 
dence, 5 ;  on  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society,  7 ;  on 
Sunday-school  organization,  371. 

Resolutions  :  Doctor  Fuller's,  2  ; 
substitute  for,  3  ;  Alabama,  4  ; 
formed  at  Fortress  Monroe,  324  ; 
as  to  the  Convention,  395. 

Rome  :  mission  established  at,  182 ; 
Doctor  Cote  entering,  182 :  Bap- 
tist church  organized  in,  18:5 ; 
property  acquired  in,  185;  hall 
for  mission  purix)ses  rented  in, 
189 ;  new  church  organized  in, 
190 ;  new  location  secured  in,  for 
mission,  193. 

Shanghai:  mission  opened  at,  79; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yates  missionaries 
at,  81 :  first  baptism  in,  86  ;  Doc- 
tor Yates  writing  from,  89 ;  reb- 
els gaining  possession  of,  90 ; 
Doctor  Yates  leaving  and  re- 
turning to,  93  ;  missionaries  flee- 
ing to,  104  ;  Mr.  Bryan's  work  in 


and  return  to,  104,  107;  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  Baptist  church 
in,  108 ;  church  at  north  gate  in, 
110 ;  work  at,  during  Boxer  dis- 
turbance, 111 ;  Mr.  Hartwell  at, 
115. 

Shuck,  Rev.  J.  L. :  appointed  a 
missionary  to  China,  42 ;  with 
Yong  Sen  Sang  at  Convention, 
44  ;  working  among  the  Chinese 
in  California,  329,  330. 

Society,  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  :  missions  in  Mexico 
turned  over  to,  257 ;  interested 
in  work  in  New  Orleans,  287 ; 
visiting  New  Orleans  after  the 
war,  295 ;  arranging  matters 
with  Home  Board  in  Oklahoma, 
310;  participating  in  education 
of  the  Negro,  318 ;  co-operating 
with  the  Home  Board  in  insti- 
tute work  among  Negroes,  319 ; 
conferring  with  Home  Board  at 
Fortress  Monroe,  323 ;  effecting 
arrangements  witli  Home  Board 
in  Indian  Territory,  360;  adjust- 
ing mattei-s  in  Cuba  with  Home 
Board,  386. 

Society,  American  Baptist  Pub- 
lication :  sustaining  Southern 
Sunday-school  interests,  36 ; 
making  unification  proposition. 
40 ;  participating  in  work  among 
the  Negroes,  318 ;  employing 
Diaz,  385. 

Taylor,  Dr.  ,T.  B. :  appointed  mis- 
sionary to  Italy,  18G,  187  :  making 
provincial  tours,  187, 188 ;  mod- 
eration of  report  of,  188 ;  hall  in 
Rome  rented  by,  189 :  visiting 
Venice,  191 ;  making  earnest  ap- 
peals for  aid,  194, 195 ;  health  of, 
impaired,  197  ;  affecting  farewell 
to,  203  ;  encouraged  by  progress, 
206  ;  visiting  Trieste.  207,  208. 

Tichenor,  I.  T. :  chosen  secretary 
of  Home  Board,  11 ;  engaging  in 


412 


GENERAL    INDEX 


army  work,  294 ;  participatiug  in    ] 
services  in  Cuba,  377;  again  in 
Cuba,  387. 

Tungchow  :  basis  of  North  China 
mission,  113 ;  Mr.  Hartwell  at, 
113 ;  Baptist  church  organized 
at,  114 ;  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Craw- 
ford at,  115 ;  work  growing  at, 
119 ;  cliapel  dedicated  in,  122 ; 
reinforcements  at,  124,  125  ;  new 
missionaries  at,  126 ;  war  days 
at,  136 ;  Boxers  causing  trouble 
at,  140. 

Tupper,  Dr.  H.  A.  :  foreseeing 
women's  work,  14 ;  encouraging 
mission  to  Brazil,  215. 

Union,  Woman's  Missionary :  or- 
ganized, 12,  13  ;  organizations 
represented  in,  14 ;  gifts  of,  to 
Home  Board,  15  ;  constitution 
of,  adopted,  17  ;  points  guarded 
by,  17 ;  annual  meeting  of,  18 ; 
features  of  the  work  of,  18 ; 
States  uniting  in,  19  ;  feeling 
impulse  of  Carey  Centennial,  19 ; 
considered  in  Southern  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  21 ;  tenth  an- 
niversary of,  21 ;  inaugurating 
Babies'  Branch,  22  ;  contributing 
to  loan  fund  of  Home  Board,  22. 

Union,  American  Baptist  Mission- 
ary :  approached  as  to  work  in 
Liberia,  144 ;  co-operating  as  to 
work  in  Japan,  273,  274  ;  loaning 
Japanese  pastor  to  Foreign 
Board,  276. 

War,  Civil:  affecting  Bible  Board, 
28;  affecting  missions,  115;  caus- 


ing withdrawal  of  aid  from  Af- 
rica, 148;  preventing  work  in 
Japan,  272  ;  influence  of,  in  gen- 
eral work  of  Home  Board,  292, 
293  ;  causing  religious  work 
among  Negroes  to  be  aban- 
doned, 315 ;  stopping  work 
among  the  Germans,  335 ;  brings 
ruin  to  the  Indians,  348 ;  crip- 
pling the  Convention,  392. 
Wayland,  Francis  :  making  report 
at  Providence,  6 ;  opposing  sepa- 
ration, 7. 

Yates,  Matthew  T. :  early  training 
of,  80 ;  arriving  at  Shanghai,  81 ; 
health  failing,  83 ;  interesting 
incident  related  by,  84,  85 ;  writ- 
ing from  Shanghai,  89 ;  in  the 
siege  of  Slianghai,  90  ;  indemni- 
fied for  losses  of  mission  prop- 
erty, 91 ;  leaving  and  returning 
to  Shanghai,  93  ;  feeling  encour- 
aged, 94 ;  entering  government 
employ,  96;  twentieth  anniver- 
sary of  arrival  of,  in  China,  97 ; 
appeals  of,  for  reinforcements, 
99 ;  signal  answer  to  prayer  of, 
101  ;  suffers  partial  paralysis, 
102 ;  death  of,  102. 

Yong  Sen  Sang :  the  first  Chinese 
convert,  44  ;  his  character,  44. 

Yoruba:  description  of,  153;  peo- 
ple of,  153,  154  ;  missionaries  ar- 
riving at,  155  ;  petty  war  between 
towns  in,  162 ;  five  stations  occu- 
pied in,  168  ;  political  excite- 
ment in,  172;  fifty  years  of  mis- 
sion work  in,  180. 


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